


Lies and Kisses

by iOpheliaBlues



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, Romantic Fluff, Self-Esteem Issues, fake relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:53:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iOpheliaBlues/pseuds/iOpheliaBlues
Summary: Opal is desperate for her young successor to find love. He doesn't want to. Somehow, almost caught in a lie, he manages to rope the current Galar Champion, Gloria, into a "relationship".
Relationships: Beet | Bede & Yuuri | Gloria, Beet | Bede/Yuuri | Gloria
Comments: 33
Kudos: 98





	1. Uncontrollable Fib

**Author's Note:**

> So, with my obsession rapidly going for Bederia, I decided to write this fic. It takes place almost straight AFTER the events of SwSh. I tagged it as 'Aged-up', but I personally view Gloria as sixteen and Bede at seventeen.

“Ms. Opal, with all due respects,” words were lodged in his throat as he spoke, “I don’t believe this is the time nor place to talk about this...”

“Of course it is, child. There is never an earlier time to find love!”

Her delicate, old voice left her mouth with such a coy tone. She tapped the end of her umbrella against the cold, tiled floor of the waiting area, the echo of the brutal tap rang across the room.

Bede gulped, swallowing down any will to fight back. Arceus, how was he going to get out of this one? He had only, a mere few moments ago, finished (and won) a battle against another gym challenger, hoping to claim their next – very pink – badge.

He didn’t need this. All he wanted to do was rest up for the day. Bede had spent hours on the battle field, one after another, challengers came by ready to claim their winnings, only to walk away with none. He rubbed the temples of his head, trying to snub out the ongoing headache that was this conversation.

Opal’s blue orbed eyes suddenly grew large, her eyes intensely staring into what Bede could assume – his soul. The glare caused all sorts of shivers and hairs on his head to stand. He knew that look. The same sinister look she had ever given him when they first met, trapped him in this Arceus-forsaken gym and changed his life entirely.

He may not admit it, but he was and would always be grateful to Opal for giving a second change… However, times like these were ones that made him really question his decisions that day.

“I-it’s ridiculous!”, he spat nervously, “I don’t need a matchmaker… I certainly do NOT need a girlfriend!”

“A boyfriend, then?”, Opal’s lips curved into a cunning smile. He didn’t like where this was going…

“W-what? No! I-I’m not interested right now! What about the gym?” Bede felt heat travel to his ears. Who could tell whether it was from embarrassment or anger?… He certainly couldn’t.

“What of it, child?”

“If I’m distracted by something meaningless, then the gym suffers!”

“Bede. I am aware you are part of my theatre performances, but there is no need to be so dramatic.”

“I...”

“I know a fair few beautiful lasses or handsome studs I can ask to attend dinner with us tomorrow? How’s about it, my dearest?” Opal spoke with no hesitation, as if it was more of a command than a request. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the elderly’s grip on the hook of her umbrella, watching as she squeezed so tightly – too tightly. He swallowed down another nervous gulp.

Bede wasn’t sure what Opal’s deal was. She had been asking him for weeks about finding a potential partner, but lately, as the weeks dwindled onwards, she began nagging more. Aching and bending his ear any second he had about the topic. Bede was slowly losing his own grip… on reality. He held in the urge to storm off, not that it did much. She would just chew his ear off later about it.

“I...I must decline!” Bede’s voice slowly became desperate. Arceus only knows he REALLY didn’t need this.

“Oh? And why is that? Give me a good reas-”

“I-I’m seeing someone already!”

….

_Silence._

What… in the world just left his own mouth…?

He couldn’t believe it, and by the looks of Opal’s widened eyes, nor did she. Out of pure frustration, the words had left his mouth before he had even a second to think about it. He sat there, underneath Opal’s widened stare, now feeling like the room was suddenly too small.

_Shit._

“I-I...” Bede stuttered, unsure of what his next move should be. “I’m seeing a girl… I just couldn’t tell anyone about her… yet.”

Opal’s stare felt like lasers on him. She scanned every bit of his face for any details. He could feel beads of sweat drip from his forehead, his hands slowly becoming clammy.

Could she tell he was lying...?

Oh Arceus, this was such a bad idea…

“Is that… so? Who is it, then? Why haven’t you told me about this… “girl”?”

As luck would have it, a knock came from beyond the waiting room doors. Both their attention immediately snapped towards the door. Bede hastily stood from the benches, making any attempt to escape this dreadful conversation.

“C-come on in!” He shouted from across the room towards the knock, shuffling awkwardly out of Opal’s direct line of sight.

From behind the big wooden double doors, a face all too familiar to Bede poked through the open gap. She stuck her head in quickly, as if to assess the surroundings of the room (or… at least made sure no one was getting changed at the time), before she finally stepped in.

Great… Another annoyance to add to his day.

Before him stood shyly, the current Galar Champion, Gloria. To which, a little over a month ago, he had gotten his derrière sorely beaten by on live television during the Champion Cup.

Could this day get any worse?

“Hey, Bede!”, the short Champion said in a sing-song voice. “I was wondering if you were up for ice cream? I heard you’ve finished the final battle of the day, right?”

Of course it can.

Bede slapped the palm of his head against his forehead, roughly dragging it down across his face slowly. Of all days for this girl to pop up, why now?!  
Since the Champion Cup, the girl had made a habit of – clearly unwelcomingly by him, appearing at the Ballonlea gym.  
Every so often, she would appear to talk – No, _distract_ , Bede. She would patter on about things that barely interested Bede. In one ear, out the other. She had made plenty of attempts to invite him to places, have a chat, train their team, watch a film, which all were declined, of course.

Now, though, Bede was trapped. Behind him, he could still feel Opal’s harsh leer on the back of his neck, watching his every movement, waiting for him to return to their previous topic. In front, stood the world’s most annoying person he had ever had the “curtsy” of meeting. If Bede wasn’t… well, Bede, he would have broken down by now. Which, he was close to, admittedly.

Suddenly, it clicked.

“Ice cream again, dear Glory?” His facial expression softened and although small, a smile spread on his lips. He practically chuckling the sentence out of his mouth, as if to force himself to laugh through this.

He waltzed towards her side, a look of perplexity was clearly painted across her face as soon as she heard the nickname come from his mouth. She looked ready to open her plush lips to ask what was going on before Bede snaked an arm around her hips.

“Sure. We can go for ice cream, but you should really look into eating something, uh...”, he eyed her petite body frame, “Some actual food. You’re going to worry me to death, you know that, darling?”

Bede feigned a sigh, still holding that pretentious smile on his face. With the arm hooked around Gloria’s waist, he gently tugged at the back of her shirt, in hopes she would play along. He watched her from the corner of his eyes, slight pink had appeared on her cheeks, her expression as puzzled as before, sheepishly staring at him. It must have been the ‘darling’ comment. In fact, he was sure, because he too was just as shocked at how naturally it rolled off his tongue.

Oh Arceus… There was no way anyone would believe this, let alone Opal, who knew him best. What was he thinking? One false word from Gloria and his charade (and his pride) would be over in a heartbeat.

Opal’s face was expressionless. She only raised a brow as she looked at the two.

“My dear,” she turned her eyes toward Gloria, fully expecting of her to answer and not him.

“… Are you two _an item_?”


	2. Misery needs company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gloria and Bede come to an arrangement.

Gloria’s face radiated all sorts of mixed emotions, but predominately, surprise. Her lips had parted into an O shape, eyes darting between Opal and Bede sheepishly. What had she walked into?

Mentally, Bede was praying. No - he was begging Arceus and every other legendary Pokemon out there that she would catch on. His chances in reality, however? Slim. Her damn facial expressions were practically giving it away.

He gulped down his pride, which was exactly where it would have ended up had she not suddenly spoke -

“Ah, I didn’t realise Bede told you, Ms. Opal!”, all of a sudden, she beamed. Her usual, winning smile spread across her lips, travelling to her big, baby-dolled brown eyes. Her tone was sweet. Sickly sweet… Enough to want to make Bede roll his eyes and gag. 

No, no! Now was NOT the type to rag on her. For once, he felt so grateful for her presence. More so, even more grateful she had picked up on his charade and played along.

Gloria too, began to play the game. She stood on her toes, turning towards Bede’s cheek. Gently, she planted her plush lips against Bede’s silky, smooth cheek. A huge flush travelled across his face, unexpected of her sudden display of affection. He felt that spot burn against his skin.

He tried to cough the embarrassment away, bringing his free hand to cover his mouth. Gloria took the lead.

“I didn’t want Bede to tell anyone about… us. I'm so sorry, Ms. Opal.”

Gloria brought her gaze to the ground, her hands twiddling behind her back as she began to act all coy and apologetic. Huh... Maybe she wasn't as uninteresting as he originally thought.

“I just know that if he told everyone, we’d get some serious paparazzi on our tail all day, you know, what with me being Champion and all! Please forgive me!”

Opal seemed shocked, she looked as though she was watching one of her plays unfold and end disastrously on stage. Bede swallowed his any nervousness he had and decided to commit now, explain to his – THE… the Champion later. 

“Well,” Opal finally chimed in once her shock had subsided. “I suppose this explains why you couldn’t tell me about this earlier...” 

Bede let out a nervous laughter through his lopsided smile.

“Of course, Ms. Opal. I owe my gratitude to you, after all.”

Gratitude, huh? More like attitude if she found out the truth. 

“Anyway,” Bede voice became stern as he glanced towards Gloria, who only smiled throughout the interaction. “We should… get going. My apologises, Ms. Opal. We’ll have to continue this conversation for later, yes?”

Opal could only nod in response. At this point, Bede was unsure if she bought the story or not. Oh, well, for now, he needed an escape and rethink his plan.

\------------

As they both wondered out of the Ballonlea’s gym’s doors, hands weaved together, once he was sure no one was anywhere near their radius, he took an almost exaggerated sigh, letting out the breath he wasn’t even sure he was holding. Bede could hear his heart race in his ears from how anxious he was, pressing his hands against his thighs as he stood to catch his breath. He was almost sure – no, POSITIVE he was going to be caught! Arceus, she was a life savour! 

Oh… Right. 

For a brief moment, he forgot she was the key to his getaway. Now came the hard part of explaining everything… Fantastic…

She only giggled in response to his whole charade, leaving Bede’s ears to burn with embarrassment.  
“Wow… Yikes, you were in a real pickle there, huh?”

There it was. Her sometimes smug, belittling tone that would mockingly tease him before a battle. Bede huffed, folding his arms as he rolled his eyes.

“Listen. I appreciate what you did back there...”, he couldn’t bring himself to look at her directly, forcing his eyes to travel towards lingering Pokemon that lurked around the forest. “You saw how she could be like when she first laid eyes on me. Recall that?”

Gloria leaned against a nearby tree, pressing her back against the log. She laughed softly, giving him a wink. “How could I not, fairy boy?”

Bede swore if she didn’t just save him from the most embarrassing moment of his life, he would have walked away from this conversation long before she even spoke.

He rubbed the side of his temples. What now?…

Could he continue this, knowing full well Gloria was now involved? How far would it go? Should he be honest and tell Opal the truth? No, no way, not an option. Maybe they could stage a break up? Would that be too soon…?

Gloria’s voice chimed into, interrupting his messy thoughts.

“I’ll be your girlfriend.” 

Bede blinked in response.

“...Pardon?” 

She giggled again, letting out this slight nasally laugh. Arceus, this was so embarrassing.

“I’ll be your fake girlfriend. Of course, on one condition.” 

No way. This was too good to be true.

Bede’s throat suddenly felt dry.

“...W-what’s that?”, his voice sounded hoarse.

“Spend time with me! Simple, right?”

Again, Bede blinked in response.

“That’s… it?”, it was his turn now as his face twisted into an expression of pure confusion as she eyed her, “You… don’t want anything else?”

“Bede. I’ve been trying for a full month to get you to hang out with me. This tackles two Rookidees with one stone, right? You get your, uh… fake relationship and I get to understand you better.” 

She scratched the back of her neck, her usual winning, champion smile was now replaced with a softer, gentle smile. 

The latter of her words lingered in his ears, “I get to understand you better”… Just what exactly did that mean?

Part of him wanting to shut that thought out, shut that down before she got close enough to him. However, he knew that change was...good. He had spent his entire life shutting people out, all but Chairman Rose, a thought he no longer wanted to remember. Plus, she made a point. It would benefit both parties, so, why not? If worst came to, all they had to do was stage a break up.

Begrudgingly, despite this being his OWN plan, he agreed, waving a hand towards for their usual handshake that would happen after their battles. He was beginning to feel like her hand stained his, a fiery touch against his cold hands. He was getting too used to losing to her.

“Fine. It’s a deal.”

Gloria’s face shifted momentarily, a serious expression crossed her face as she shook his hand, eyes glued to his. They shook hands and the deal was solidified. 

...  
Was… her eyes always so swirly brown? Almost like hazelnuts, he thought quietly.  
Wait a minute. Why was he concerning himself over this?

After letting go of Bede’s hand, her usual demeanour came flooding back as she bounced on the spot, now tugging at Bede’s uniform’s sleeve.

“Sooooo, wanna go get some ice cream?”, she flashed him her iconic winning grin.

He rolled his eyes. It was barely five minutes into their arrangement and he was already irritated. 

“Whatever. Fine, we can go. We can talk about things when we get there.”

“Oh, for real? Alright!”, she fist bumped the air. Another eye roll and now a sigh were earnt from Bede. She didn't seem to notice. “I’ll get us a Flying Taxi, wait here, okay?”

He watched as she disappeared into the centre of the small town, dialling away as she practically skipped off. 

Arceus, another headache was forming. How was he going to handle this? He could barely stand her normally, let alone fake date this... abundance of energy. How in heaven's name did he plan to keep himself sane from it all?

... 

There was never a point in time, until now, that he had ever hated himself this much. Him and his silly pride.


	3. Sweet Treats and Bitter Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bede and Gloria finally get down to talking after escaping the awkward moment. Bede finds a new trust in Gloria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to do a heavy brainstorm session on what I wanted to do with Gloria's personality, I hope as the chapters grow, people will like the Gloria I made through endless headcanons.

Up until this very moment, it hadn’t registered to Bede how little he knew of his rival. Sure, he knew the basics, he knew her age, where she was from, her deep childhood friendship with Hop and the _obvious_ status title, but what did he _REALLY_ know about her? He knew about as much about her personal life as the public did. So… next to nothing.

A hefty sigh escaped the gap between his lips as he leaned against the plush, soft cushion of the cafe chair. Kindly enough, the owner of the cafe had isolated off a couple of tables for the two in the corner, probably aware of the mass attention the two would bring now that they were of massive status. The hushed voices of the muttering folks around them all seemed to be mentioning one thing… the Champion’s and the new Gym Leader’s presence together.  
Whatever, it didn’t matter. If anything, it solidified their whereabouts together, right?

Across the table from him was Gloria. She didn’t seem give mind to the googling eyes, her own fixated on the beautifully presented photo-esc strawberry crepe cake that sat sparkling in front of her. Before she even took a bite, she swiped her phone up, snapping several pictures that made Bede roll his eyes, before finally tucking in. She was probably used to all the attention, after all, she is Champion of the Galar region.

“When you’re ready, tell me about yourself.” Bede spoke with such authority that Gloria stopped mid-bite, her eyes travelled up from her spoon to Bede, an eyebrow raised.

“You know this isn’t some interview, right?”, she stopped herself from giggling, but Bede frowned when he could evidentially see her twitching smile, as if trying to control it from spreading. _Arceus, he wished she would take this as seriously as he did._ “You also can’t just say “tell me about yourself”, y’know? Try asking me specifics!”

He controlled himself enough to prevent rolling his eyes. Instead, he calmed himself, gently crossing an arm and placing the other on top, his hand resting on his mouth as he thought. Should be easy, it wasn’t like there was anything he really knew about her in the first place.

“Fine then. Let’s start with the basics, such as your favourite colour, or perhaps your favourite food?”

Gloria beamed with excitement, she seemed far too relaxed for Bede’s liking, since he was the complete opposite – he just was trying desperately not to show it.

“Well, probably obvious, but my favourite colour is red! Always been since I was a kid.” She gestured her thumb towards her red sweater, spoon still in hand. “I don’t really have a favourite food… maybe a favourite dessert though!”

Bede huffed in response.

“Desserts are foods too, you know... you dolt.”

Gloria’s cheeks puffed out slightly, her eye brows narrowed… Was she _pouting?_

“Y-yeah, well, as I was saying!” she hastily continued, trying to brush that comment aside. “I love sweets. I could eat sweets all the time, anytime. Granted, I do love cakes most. Waaay more than ice cream. Well, actually, I suppose that depends, really-”

The sickly sweet smile she flashed mid ramble made Bede chuckle.

“Eating sweets all the time shouldn’t be something you’re proud of. Has no one taught you to eat those things in moderation? You’ll get sick. Honestly, I’m even surprised you’re still awake with the amount of sugar you must consume all the time.”

“Hey, I didn’t come here for you to pick on my eating habits, _boyfriend_.” She elongated the final word, letting them linger on her tongue as it fizzled away, probably hoping to remind Bede of this whole reason they were even having this conversation. She still kept a soft smile.

Bede made no attempt to stop himself this time from rolling his eyes, slumping back into his chair as he let out an exaggerated sigh.

This was going to be a long day…

“Fine, whatever. It’s not like I actually _do care_ what you do, miss _Champion_.”, his tone was sprinkled with impertinence. She shrugged her petite shoulders in response, returning her attention back to her sweet treat. “Anyway, what else?”, he reminded her.

“Oh, right. Hmm… Oh! Don’t tell anyone this though, only Ms. Opal, of course, but...”, the sentence intrigued Bede as she lowered her voice to a whisper, her body leaning in against the table so only he could make out what she was about to say. “I… play the guitar and sing.”

Bede blinked.

Was that all?

Why on Earth did she need to hide that?

He watched her, slumping back into her seat and began to fidget a little, probably waiting for Bede to respond. The corners of her cheeks began to have a tint of red. Somehow, he found her vulnerable side to be kind of cute, especially since this was an extremely rare sight for him.

For a split second… only a split, he felt his heart skip a tiny bit.

No, no way. It was probably just from seeing a side to her he wasn’t used to… Yeah, probably just that.

“Well. I’m certainly surprised, but why are you hiding something like that...? Surely, you would want people to know that you possess such a talent, don’t you?”

Gloria shook her head in disagreement, a sharp sigh escaped.

“I mean, maybe. I just… kinda like not mixing my two lives together, y’know? In my downtime, when I play… I feel so relaxed. On the battlefield, though? The adrenaline feels so different. Wouldn’t be right if people started trying to sign me up to musicals and stuff.”

“I suppose so.”

“Anyway, enough about me. It’ll be waaay more sus if Ms. Opal finds I don’t know squat about you.”

 _Tsk_. The soft sounds cracked out of his mouth. ‘Squat’? ‘Y’know’? This girl sure does talk with a lot of slang, which, surprised Bede. Had he not noticed before?

“Well...” Bede could see why the other had struggled, he wasn’t sure where to begin without sounding too vain… or awkward, for that matter. How much did he need to tell her?

“Unlike you, don’t eat sweets to a gluttonous degree, however, I do enjoy them.” Gloria seemed to radiate with contentment upon hearing his admission to sweets, a soft hum left her lips as she smiled at him. He turned his head away, not wanting to make eye contact. Whether it was to avoid wanting to physically gag from her disgusting eating habits, or just… hide away from her glistening smile that seemed to pull at his chest uncomfortably? He wasn’t sure.

“I’ve recently become a member at Ms. Opal’s theatre. I like to help there occasionally, or perhaps be in a few plays myself.” As he continued, he eyed her closely – wondering if she was taking any of this in as she munched on her dessert, occasionally humming a ‘ _Mhm!_ ’ in response to whatever he said.

“To unwind, I like to read-”

“Shipping fanfics?” Bede’s eyes widened in surprise, choking on air all of a sudden. She couldn’t help but giggle in response, giving him a cheeky wink.

“No, not ‘Shipping fan-fiction’!”, he huffed once again, this time, slightly embarrassed that she could even come to that conclusion. “I read a lot of different types, which, you should be too – regardless, be it historic, poetry, romance, I enjoy them all. My favourite genre, though? Fantasy. Ms. Opal knows that, so keep that in mind for sure. None of this better be in one ear, out the other, Gloria.”

She gulped, swallowing down a sudden knot in her throat. “O-of course I’m listening, Bedey. Got it, fantasy.”

“And don’t call me Bedey.”

“Wha- But you called me ‘Glory’ earlier!”

He did?

…

Oh… right.

Curse his inability control his pride sometimes.

“Whatever. Just don’t call _me_ that. Ms. Opal knows I hate pet names given to me.”

“Whatever you say, Bedey~”, she sang teasingly, giving him another wink that sent his heart thumping. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, refusing to take notice of his heart. She must have been teasing him too much that he’s just a little more irritated. Must be why his heart is racing so fast… _right?_

“Anyway, as I was saying... Ms. Opal knows I appreciate her teas, especially her certain hazelnut blend. Hazelnut is… one of my preferred flavours. Oh. And no, I’m not allergic to anything.”

Arceus, this felt so embarrassing, telling her all this. It felt like such an invasion of his privacy – yet, there was nothing he could do. He got himself in this mess and it was far too late to pull out without looking so… ridiculous.

…  
  
Slowly, as he continued to tell her things she needed to know about the Espurr-haired boy, he eventually came to a halt.  
  


There was… one more thing he knew he had to mention.

He knew he didn’t have a choice. Opal knew this, heck, some of the more elder Gym Leader’s probably knew this too.

...

Suddenly, the world fell quiet, things around him seemed to dissolve around him, a cold breeze brushed the back of his neck. He took a deep sigh, and it had clearly caught Gloria’s attention. She rested her arms on the table, perhaps sensing what he was about to say was something that ran deep. She gave him her undivided, fullest attention. She nodded to him and somehow, he found comfort in that.

He took a deep breath before he spoke.

“I’m… an orphan. I… didn’t just respect that damn Chairman, I cherished him. I didn’t feel so… unneeded, for once.”

A pause. She waited momentarily whilst Bede bit his lower lip, trying to choke the words out of his throat. He couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with her, a flush of shame and hurt travelled through his body.

“...Bede, I thought he only endorsed you, I didn’t realise...”

“It’s fine. He didn’t take me in like that, if that’s what you’re thinking. He just… gave me a reason to live a life for a bit.”

His words stung his heart as they poured out. He knew he couldn’t say more, but from the looks of things – the look from Gloria, she understood. There was something about her, the understanding in her eyes that she gave him, like she knew what kind of pain he went through… At first, he was petrified. He hated the idea of feeling pitied. It disgusted him deep into his core and he felt so small.

However…

Gloria gave him a look he wasn’t expecting. It was odd. She hadn’t frowned and sorrowed like most did, or given him the typical, “I’m sorry” response that he often got. What was there to be sorry about? No one would have known of his past. It wasn’t like they abandoned him.

She smiled, but not that iconic trademark smile she would flash after victories, or teasing smile she'd occasionally sport after a banter session with Bede, but a genuine, soft smile that Bede had never seen before. It was small, yet… felt so powerful to him. He was entranced by that look of hers. That look of compassion and understanding. No one but Ms. Opal had ever treated him with anything but sympathy. This was… new.

“I’m happy you told me that, Bede. It… means a lot that you trust me enough to tell me.”

...Trust her enough?

What did that mean?

He told her this because he had to, not because he wanted to…

Right?…

Somehow, Bede relaxed into his chair, his throat seemed to open up again and he felt something peculiar. A slight flutter in his chest, like a small weight was lifted off his shoulders. Odd, because he hadn’t exactly said anything new. Perhaps just letting it escape out of him was what he needed in a long time, after all, everything happened and changed so fast before he could even process it all.

Gloria held her gaze on Bede, that supportive smile still on her face. He couldn’t help but suddenly feel slightly nervous, his stomach doing flips. What was… happening?

“Thank you… That was awfully kind of you to listen. Not many people know, so, you won’t have trouble with that.”

Unknowingly, he unexpectedly felt a brush on his right hand, feeling a warmth elope around it. It caused him to jolt briefly. He snapped his attention to it, inspecting to see Gloria’s hand wrapped tight around it. As she gave him a supporting squeeze, his heart also felt it. He brought his attention back to her, trying to register everything.

This was… all so new.

This side of Gloria he had never seen, this feeling of not being pitied, not feeling pathetic. A look of belonging and understanding. It was… nice. All new. All… welcomed.

“I’m-… I apologise,” he croaked out once he was able to find his voice, his hand still under Gloria’s warm touch. He almost shivered. “I didn’t intend to make this uncomfortable for you, I-”

“Bede.” She stopped him with the call of his name, the soft whisper of her voice seemed to ring in his ear. Her smile widened and her eyes fluttered as she eyed him. “Don’t apologise. I wanted this, to learn about you, I mean. We’re friends, Bede. You can tell me anything, anytime.”

...Friends.

Friends…?

Since when? When had they become ‘friends’? After the Champion Cup, he was always quick to demand her to leave every time she had come to visit. Of course, it hadn’t worked every time, but it wasn’t enough to warrant them being friends… did it?

Or had she considered them friends all this time?

Suddenly, he felt hot under her gaze, heat travelling to his cheeks and the tip of his ears. What was going on? Was this what it was like to be friends? To be liked by someone?

This was so unfamiliar to him… yet… he never wanted this feeling to end. This warm, eloping feeling that covered his right hand. Perhaps Gloria wasn’t so bad after all.

* * *

  
  
Evening began to hit, the sun setting off in the distance as they both walked to get a Flying Taxi each. Even when cold breeze was brushing against Bede’s cheeks, he felt warm. He felt self-conscious. He wasn’t sure what this feeling was, but every time he snapped a quick glance at Gloria, he felt like he could combust.

He appreciated, however, the silence between them both. On the way out, he had asked her if she wanted to tell him anything she needed, but she declined. In fact, she even said she wouldn’t mind walking in the quiet for a while – so, that’s what they both did. Despite his initial worry of how awkward the silence might have been, it wasn’t. It felt… comforting, especially after this eventful day for him. He really appreciated Gloria’s presence.

It felt kind of sombre once they had arrived to the Flying Taxis by the hotel, spotting two already waiting there. Part of him, a very deep part, really didn’t want this to end. He enjoyed today, despite the antics. He found bickering with the Champion to be somewhat entertaining, as always, but seeing new sides to her today was surprising. He didn’t really expect it.

He wondered why, twice, she had mentioned wanting to get to know him. Was he that much of an enigma to her? What did she think now, after today?

“I had fun, like, actual fun!” Her soft, sing-song voice brought him out of his hazy thoughts. He merely observed as she skipped a little in front of him once they were finally in closer view of the Flying Taxis, watching her as she spun on the spot, giving her iconic Champion pose.

Bede couldn’t help but chuckle at how ridiculous she looked doing it. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that he didn’t win Championship, _especially_ not if he had to do that.

She, as always, smiled at him – but this time, he felt another flutter in his chest from it.

“Before I go, here,” she quickly reached into the pockets of her frilly white skirt, fishing out her red, sticker-covered phone. “Put your number in. I’ll message you once I’m home, ya know, so you know I’m safe – like a boyfriend totally would do?”

“Hmm. I’m not sure about that, not when clearly, the boyfriend’s lady is very capable of taking care of herself. Possibly him, too.”

“Oh? I suppose if you’d rather have Ms. Opal think how suspicious it might be that you don’t have my number~”

He sighed. She had a point. Even if it was a irksome one.

Bede quickly swiped the phone from her dainty hands, tapping his number in.

“Ring me when you get home, _darling_.”

He dragged the words out, hoping to get a reaction from the petite Champion, observing her to see a slight blush on her cheeks - clearly taken back by the comment. He noted that happened earlier as well. And will happen in future.

“R-right, of course!” she choked her voice out, coughing to clear her throat. “Anyway, goodnight, Bede. Despite this, uh, weird sticky situation _you_ put us in,” he rolled her eyes and she giggled mid-sentence as she continued. “I did enjoy getting to know you.”

Bede couldn’t help but smile. It felt uncontrollable, like his lips were pulled into an upwards curve. “Me too. I didn’t seem to learn much about you however, but I suppose we can’t really do this in one day, let alone, a few hours.”

“Yeah, ‘course. Besides, I'm a whole can of worms that-”

A raspy voice cut through their conversation.

“Champion! Gym Leader Bede! If you are intending to ride our Flying Taxis, we are stopping all services in 5 minutes!”

“Oh, guess that’s our queue to split.” Bede wasn’t sure if his hearing was betraying him. Somehow, he caught a hint of sadness in her voice, least, that’s what he thought. Or maybe what he hoped.

“I already said this, but goodnight, Bede.” As she turned on her heels towards one of the Flying Taxis, she stopped.

Bede’s eyebrows raised in confusion, wondering what the Champion was up to. She quickly spun to face him, yelling from across the gap between them.

“I… I really needed you, Bede. I hope you know. Through the whole tournament, I mean. You helped me grow, not just as a trainer, but as a person too… so...”

Her voice trailed off as the red blush spread across her face, she turned away and quickly hopped into the opened door of the taxi.

“I’ll ring you.” She shouted from the taxi, closing the door with a soft slam. Bede stood, frozen on the spot as he watched her wave, her taxi beginning to float and take flight before zooming off into the distance. Just like that, she had disappeared, along with her warm presence.

Yet… Bede felt like he was burning. What… was _that_?

She… _needed_ him?

Why?

All he did to her throughout that was be a pompous asshole to her, and even her friends.

Honestly… somehow, even if he found out everything about her today, he knew she would still be a mystery to her. The way her optimism worked, her instinctive mindset of never stopping, never giving up… It felt infectious tonight.

He could… certainly get used to seeing her more often, that’s for sure.

Starting with that phone call tonight that he surprisingly excited for.  
  
_Arceus_ , what was he thinking?


	4. The Inner Pink We See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opal invites Gloria to tea with her and Bede, except Bede hasn't arrived yet.

_**Brrrrrrrrrrrrrring!** _

“Ugh...”

_**Brrrrrrrinnnnnnng!** _

**Thump.**

Drowsy eyes stared from the comfort of the warm blanket, tossing over to let her eyes adjust and get a clearer view of her screaming alarm clock.

10 AM.

The petite Champion immediately shot up, wrestling with the blanket as she finally untangled herself from it’s comforting grip that she partly didn’t want to leave. She hadn’t realised how late she had slept in for. Usually, by this hour, she was easily spotted lingering around the Wild Area, constantly patrolling for new Pokemon and their trainers she might have wanted to challenge.

Today was the first time in a while she had slept in so late, no thanks to Bede...

Once she had arrived safely to the comfort of her front door, she had hastily given Bede a call – to let him know she had arrived safe and sound. By that time, Bede too had already arrived to his own place before her.

Hours had sped by in what felt like minutes, moments – and neither of them noticed. Their late night conversation dripping into the early morning. Bede kept insisting he had to go, but somehow, never hung up, to Gloria’s surprise. The conversation ranged vastly, going from things they both enjoyed, like their common love for tea, delicate exotic desserts, the ocean and music (even if their taste varied on this), to their dislikes of impatience, wet weathers and certain types of foods and habbits.

Even with all the small talk, Gloria hadn’t imagined Bede to be so easy to talk to, considering his usual hesitation and unwillingness. She had relaxed into the conversation with ease, and from the sounds of it, so did Bede. At least after a while, anyway. She had to work her magic, poking and prodding him consistently for answers before he finally let part of his walls down. Of course, she wasn’t expect him to drop them all straight away, but she was happy nonetheless to get to know a side of him she hadn’t expected.

As the time passed, the conversation shifted to less personal talk and on their fake relationship. Where was the first date we went on? What did we do on the first date? How long have we been seeing each other?

Honestly, the whole conversation got Gloria so giggly. Neither of them had ever done anything like this – least, she didn’t think Bede had. Sure, she had been on a date or two, but it was never anything as special as she had conjured up in her mind for their fake relationship. A date at the cinemas, catching quick glances at each other in the movies before heading for a nice, relaxing meal at Hulbury’s seafood restaurant, finally followed by a romantic stroll along the narrow piers by the sea together, sun setting gently before Bede finally choked up the courage to spill his feelings for her. She had, obviously, accepted and returned those feelings. Two weeks later, here they were, as lovestruck as ever... At least, that was the story they were going with, anyway.

A few minor details were discussed and before long, it was 2 AM, yet not a wink of tiredness had washed over her. In fact, part of her didn’t even want to leave just yet, but she knew she had to let the young succeeding Gym Leader go, ready for his endless battles the day after. She probably suspected he had stayed up to listen to her late night ramblings and get their facts straight, considering they hadn’t discussed much of those details the day prior.

Well, no point dwelling on it now.

She sluggishly lifted her feet off of her pillowy haven, stretching her arms above her ruffled bed head. A big yawn escaped her mouth. _Suppose it was time to get up and get the day going_ , she thought.

* * *

A warm shower and hearty breakfast of pancakes and eggs left of the side for her later, she began speedily preparing her backpack. She wasn’t entirely sure of her plans today, but part of her felt she wanted to catch up with her long time childhood friend, Hop. It had been over two weeks and a half since they had last seen each other, despite living so close by. She understood however, he was on his way to become a professor after all, he had lots of commitments now, but five minutes tops should be enough. Besides, she certainly wanted Hop to know of the predicament she found herself in, least before he heard it from anywhere else. No doubt in her mind the tabloids would have snuck a few pictures of her and Bede yesterday. She didn’t know what was going to happen now.

Unbeknownst to her, however, she would have never predicted what was to come.

**Knock knock.**

“…?”

Gloria immediately veered her attention towards the gentle knock on the door.

Odd.

No one really came at this hour, especially since the house was usually empty at this time – everyone in the area knew that much. Perhaps it was her mum coming back from work to retrieve something she forgot. Who ever it is, it was rude to leave them waiting.

Not a second longer, she sprinted towards the door. To Gloria's surprise, revealed the last person she would have expected to see.

“M-Ms. Opal?”, her voice came out in an awfully quiet croak as she peaked through the gap of her door. Gloria’s response was met with a wink from the elderly woman, leaning on her umbrella for balance. She was amazed Opal even knew where she lived to begin with. “W-what can I do for you?”

“Ah, I was hoping you were still around. I was wondering if you’d be so kind as to join us for some tea later?”

_Us…?_

As if Opal had read her mind, the old woman cackled a little. Gloria didn’t know what to say.

“Yes, dear. Bede and I. I would appreciate it if we could all have a little bonding together over afternoon tea? Four o’ clock at my home? Keep an old lady like me from being every so lonely?”

She spoke with such an innocence in her brittle voice that made Gloria shiver from guilt at even the thought of rejecting her invitation.

Well, shoot… what could she do now?

Did Bede know about this? If he did, wouldn’t he have warned her in advanced? Maybe she should give him a ring later- No, wait, she couldn’t. He was at the gym all day.

Did they even need time to prepare? She knew this would happen, but she didn’t imagine it to be so soon! Bede would kill her if she agreed without discussing this with him.

Think, Gloria…

_Think!_

“Sure! I’d love to!” She beamed a wide grin, baby blue eyes falling on her as she felt unease travel across her body. She swallowed down her nerves in one gulp.

 _Welp_. So much for thinking about it.

Her mouth had travelled much faster than her thoughts did, apparently.

Mentally, she tried desperately composed herself. Too late now.

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear it, my child.” A sing-song tone bled from her voice. Gloria wondered for a second if Opal was teasing her, if this whole thing was just to catch her in the act… sure felt like it. “I’ll catch you at four then. Don’t be late. I’ll be serving up some of my finest tea and desserts.”

Gloria’s voice seem to fizzle out in her throat, only managing a nod in response. Opal, on the other hand, seemed she was having the time of her life, a devilish smile spread from ear to ear. Steadily, Opal waved her off and trotted carefully into the distance, likely back to the nearby station.

Oh, great. Bede was gonna kill her. There was no doubt in her mind that Bede was going to bury her six feet under later with endless questions of, “Why did you do that?”, “Haven’t you heard of rejection?”, “You couldn’t have told me sooner?!”. She gulped in fear as his voice rang in her mind.

She may as well say her one last goodbyes to Hop before Bede executed her later…

* * *

“YOU DID _WHAT_?!”

Hop’s voice pulsated throughout the lab, earning a very loud ‘Shhh’ from Sonia in the back. He slapped his hand over his mouth as he watched the colour from Gloria’s face drain from everywhere but her cheeks.

Shame travelled through her body, an awkward giggle left her mouth.

“Yeah… Listen, I know what I’m doing! Once this is over, Bede and I will… uh, break up…?”

Hop raised a brow in clear confusion.

“You don’t sound sure about that, mate… Anyway, why are you even doing this, eh? You know what he’s like, right?”

Gloria’s exaggerated sigh was all knowing of it. Of course she knew what he was like, after all, the things Bede did that affected Hop was… heartbreaking. But she knew this was a new Bede, a new path, and she wanted to give that new Bede a new chance. It just wouldn’t have been fair otherwise, especially not when she was reigning champion, the poster trainer for all things good. She had to set an example… though, she knew that wasn’t the only reason she wanted to befriend Bede.

A small tint of red flushed on her cheeks.

“Listen, I know. But he’s changed! Really, he has! This was the only way to get closer to him… I don’t mind, honestly… We actually have a bit in common, y’know?”

“Hmm… Alright, fine. But anything goes wrong and you come to me, okay, mate?”

She nodded gleefully. Phew.

Hop’s reaction to the news wasn’t so bad after all. She half expected him to drag her all the way to Ballonlea to confront Bede of this whole scandal. The other half? Have a verbal war on the phone later with him. She was glad neither were on his mind.

“So,” Hop’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, placing his hand underneath his chin in a pointed way, lost in his own thoughts. “Have you thought about any of this? How long you guys will go on for? What the press will say if they confirm that the relationship to be true?”

“Well… I’m actually going to see them both tonight for tea. I’ll sweep Bede away for a moment and maybe we can talk about it then. I think he’s just too prideful to let Ms. Opal know he didn’t want a partner right now. Besides, I’m sure we can make a break up work eventually. Plenty of people stay friends afterwards. Don’t worry about the press!”

Gloria seemed so sure of her plan, radiating with confidence as she spoke. Something did ache inside her chest though for a split second. Despite knowing this was all fake, what would happen once they “broke up”? Would they go back to their separate lives and Bede continuing to shut her out again? Well, whatever happened then was something for future Gloria to worry about. Right now, she was helping a friend out and she had the added bonus of getting to know her long standing rival.

“Glo’, I mean it.” A sudden shift in Hop’s tone made her jolt slightly. “If you need to talk when the time comes, I’m here. Got it?”

_The time comes…?_

She wasn’t sure what Hop meant, truthfully. What time to come? She can handle whatever happened, after all, she became Champion on her own perseverance and hard work. Nothing could be harder than what she faced during the Champion’s Cup.

Still, she didn’t question it. She knew where Hop’s heart was. She could only smile at him and nod in agreement.

“Thanks, Hop. You’re the best.”

“Yeah, yeah, just come visit more often, alright?”  
  
“Yeah, of course. I promise!”

As time went by, she had spent her hours chit-chatting to Hop about her adventures as the Champion and helping with any chores needed around the lab (she figured she would stay until she had to go), three hours had swept by far too soon for her liking and she had to bid her melancholic goodbyes to the duo. Part of her didn’t want to say goodbye yet, since it had already been a while before the three had been in the same room together.

But, she had made a promise to Hop to be back soon. Arceus only knows she would never break a promise.

Bidding her farewells to Sonia, Yamper and Hop, she scuttled out of the lab, preparing herself mentally to go see Opal and Bede.

Hop let out a heavy sigh.

“Worried, Hop?”

Sonia’s voice startled Hop for a moment, clearly lost in thought.

“’Course. She might be a strong trainer, but emotionally? She’s pretty gentle. Always been since we were kids. Act first, cry later on her own. Kinda why I hope she’ll come talk to me if she needs.”

“You’re a great friend, Hop. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their pal.” Sonia’s tone was so soft that Hop could swear he could hear her smile through it.

He cheered up and smiled towards her.

“Well, duh. Anyway, it’s back to work time, don’tcha think?”

* * *

Gloria paced for a little while, waiting for time to pass as her knees buckled – only slightly – from nervousness. It was odd, she didn’t feel this way yesterday, but she supposed she was more nervous about how to interact around Opal. It’s not like she ever knew her personally, or got the time to know her either. She wondered, behind all the cameras and lighting, what was Opal like…?

Welp. She’d find out very soon.  
  
On her final pace, she turned the corner towards a small cottage up the stairs. The atmosphere at Ballonlea eased her concerns big time. It felt so out of worldly, like a town forever closed off in a fairy tale. It was hard to imagine Bede not softening in an area like this. Momentarily, she wondered – where did Bede live? Was it close by? Perhaps an apartment at Wyndon? Nah, he could never make it there and back everyday, right?

Lost in her own mind, she almost jumped when the door swung upon in front of her, now hearing her heart beat in her ears from the momentary freight. Opal stood tall, greeting her with a warming smile.

“Oh, dear. Why didn’t you knock? Come on in, my child. You are lucky I saw you from the window, deary.”

“O-oh, thank you! Sorry, I kinda spaced out...”, she awkwardly laughed to herself as she shuffled in.

Upon entering Opal’s home, an instant scent hit her nose. What was that? Vanilla? No, strawberry? No, no… Hazelnuts? Maybe cinnamon?

Gloria couldn’t help but ease at the scent, her stomach suddenly aching with emptiness. She grew slightly shy as it threatened to tell the world of her hunger pains, wrapping her arms around her lower abdomen. Opal laughed.

“Come on in properly, silly. Kids these days are far less confident than those of my time. Come, I’ve set up tea and desserts. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve given you a cinnamon blend to try first. I’ve been meaning to use those, just couldn’t find the occasion.”

Opal let out another hearty laugh as she waved Gloria into the open kitchen. Big brown eyes sparkled wide as they fell onto the table of what seemed like, endless abundance of sweet treats and delicate desserts, all plated on a round, three tier serving stand. She had never seen so many varieties in one place, let alone have the luxury to eat any of these!

She felt herself gulp down her temptation to dive in. Tearing her gazing eyes away, she found herself staring all the details residing in this small cottage. The walls were plastered with a soft ballerina pink wall paper, white strips painted down to the floor. She almost felt like she was in a child’s room.  
Throughout all the walls sat different shelves, varieties of tea pots and antiques living on top. Above them hung photos of what Gloria assumed were Opal’s journey to becoming a gym leader, spotting one of a dark haired woman with similar baby blue eyes in the pink fairy Gym uniform she had come to recognise on Opal, reminding her of a photo she had seen in a magazine of Opal’s younger self. In another, she wore a beautiful white shirt that resembled somewhat of a cloud, the collar sticking out in multiple circular areas, a black bow sitting in front of her chest, her waist was tied with a green sachet and black trousers. She stood tall, proud in the photo, the familiar pink and blue umbrella in hand, smiling towards the camera. Gloria couldn’t help but admire Opal’s beauty, even till this day, Opal manages to keep her grace and sophistication.

Suddenly realising how rude she must have been to stare at someone’s personal belongings, she swiftly tore her eyes away, glancing up to Opal in hopes that she didn’t notice. Luckily for Gloria, Opal was too fixated on setting up tea, a sweet and cinnamon-like aroma travelled through the cottage. She definitely felt more at ease at least.

One thing did catch her eye, however…

As she approached the table and took her seat in front of the towering desserts, she peaked her head from behind to catch Opal’s view. Partly to force her attention anywhere else but the desserts, she didn’t want to come across as rude if she started munching down first.

“Uhm… Is Bede not coming?”

“Oh, did I not mention?” The elderly woman brought her tea cup to her lips before speaking, a soft hum escaping her throat. A quiet invitation for Gloria to dig in too. “Bede won’t be here for another half an hour, I hope you don’t mind. I’d love the honours of chatting to the current Champion on her own, if she doesn’t kindly mind letting me bite an ear off?”

Gloria tried not to let her nerves take over. Instead, she helped herself to a sip of the cinnamon tea, letting the delicate flavour of the tea wash over here. A hum escaped her lips as she let the flavours linger. She wouldn’t have guessed that the tea would calm her so quickly.

“Of course not, Ms. Opal. It’s an honour for me. I can’t thank you enough for inviting me. You really went above and beyond on the treats.”

Opal laughed and Gloria felt a little shy, still, she really appreciated the trouble Opal went just for her.

“Well, please, help yourself.”

So Gloria did. Not wanting to come across as greedy, she took only a couple at a time.

“So, my dear… How has Bede been?”

“He’s been...”, she thought for a moment, “just his usual self, if I’m honest.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

For some reason, Gloria couldn’t help but smile into her teacup, her face suddenly felt warm… It must have been the drink.

“We bicker together – nothing serious, of course! Just a thing we both do. He wears that face of thunder like it’s his trademark look, but I know deep down he’s happy to be with me.”

She wished.

“Maybe sometimes I’ll even catch a glance at him smiling. Only if I look hard enough though. The way he let’s his guard down when I’m around is… refreshing.”

Gloria supposed that part wasn’t too much of a lie, he did let his guard down briefly yesterday, after all.

“He’s really changed under your supervision, Ms. Opal.”

Opal’s cheery chuckle echoed through the room. She shook her head.

“Perhaps, but I’m sure deep down, he was always a good child, just misguided by the wrong figure in his life.”

Silence fell on Gloria as she sipped the hot cinnamon-scented liquid. Of course, part of her felt heavy, dejected, knowing what Bede had gone through with no one by his side. But, she was never one to dwell on the past. What has happened… happened. She could not, even if she truly wished, change things, she could only be there for the Bede she knew now. She had learnt that lesson a long time ago…

The sound of a clink from porcelain interrupted her thoughts, she gazed up at Opal who probably shared the same thought, but hastily put it to an end.

Instead, Opal shifted the mood, breaking the silence between the two.

“I’m glad you speak of him so fondly. I truly would have never guessed he would have even jumped into a relationship so fast, especially not with his supposed rival. Love makes you do crazy things.”

Love…

Gloria awkwardly scratched her neck, the other hand trying to distract the thoughts of guilt knowing that she was lying on Bede’s behalf.

She shifted her thoughts to Bede instead. What was Bede like when he’s in love, she wondered. Would he have truly jumped at the chance to let the person of his dreams know his secrets so fast? Was he the type to confess, or perhaps, be confessed to?

The thought made her snicker slightly.

She wondered what Bede’s type even was.

Probably not her…

Certainly not her, right?

“Um… Ms. Opal? May I ask you something?”

“Of course, dear child. You’re free to speak of anything.”

“Ah, well...”, she croaked slightly. Unsure of how to word her thoughts and hoped it did not come out disrespectful or nosy.

“I was wondering… what about you? I’ve been calling you Ms. Opal, but are you… were you married?”

Opal’s face warmed as a smile eased gently on her face, she relaxed into her seat, shoulders melting down as she closed her eyes briefly. Gloria hoped she hadn’t offended her.

“I wasn’t married, no. I was, however, engaged.”

“You were? I mean, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to...”

“It’s alright. You’ll be doing me a favour, there hasn’t been a soul who would listen to lil’ ol’ me talk in a long while.”

Well… in that case, Gloria couldn’t refuse, and after a confirmation nod from Gloria, she began.

“When I was a young lady, I attended an academy for Pokemon training. My teacher at the the school taught me everything I needed to know about Pokemon. How to love, nurture and care for them as though they were your own family. What she didn’t teach me, however, was to love and trust outside of Pokemon. For a while, I trusted no one. Trained and grew strong only from my own experiences, but let me tell you one thing, my dear… You will never grow if you don’t reach out to learn from other’s.”

Something in what Opal had said truly resonated with her. She had meant every word she had said to Bede the night before, about how he had impacted the growth within her, forced her to become stronger and adapt. Everyone did. Every part of their journey played a role in hers, and she was grateful for them all.

Opal continued, her raspy, brittle voice occasionally only stopping for brief sips of tea.

“I had pretty much earnt the name from my fellow peers, ‘Pink Isolation’, what with being a Fairy specialist. No one dared to approach me at all for a long time. Everything I did was solely on my own and my Pokemon. One day, a brave man had challenged me. He said, “If you lose, I want you to travel with me after graduation”. How peculiar. I had only talked to this man a handful of times before in my lifetime, and already he dared challenge me? And with such a big ask? He must have been completely foolish! I couldn’t help but laugh it off. I suppose I must have been just as foolish, considering I accepted his challenge. Upon battling him, though, it was another story… It as if he had a completely different bond with his Pokemon and peers all around him. Everyone cheered for him on that battlefield, all his Pokemon fought vicariously to defeat my winning streak… In the end, I became victorious, but just as he walked away, I asked him to stay. There was a boldness inside him that seemed so different. He fought with passion and… more. So, despite losing, I gave in to his request. Not long after, I had opened my heart to new experiences. New trusts, bonds, battles… a new way of life, filled with pink! I found love along the way with that man… He was my one and only. We got engaged years after being together for so long, but… unfortunately, he lost his life shortly after. I may not have opened my heart to another relationship like that, but I will always keep my heart open for all sorts of new, welcoming experiences, all thanks to that man. I would have never found myself inheriting the next Fairy Gym Leader position, otherwise.”

Gloria’s chest felt tight. She fought back the urge to tear up during the story in front of Opal, her sudden appetite gone. She had been through so much in her life, but still carried around such grace and humbleness that Gloria found both endearing and saddening. Life was so unfair at times… Poor Opal.

“I suppose… that’s why I can see the pink spark in Bede that I once saw in myself. Not only from his attire, but what’s inside of him. He had no desire to open his heart to anyone but the Chairman, despite how the Chairman discarded the boy. The child deserves a chance before it is too late.”

Gloria’s lips formed a smile, the shake of her head surprised Opal.

“Nope. It’s never too late!”

A chuckle from the elderly woman filled the room and Gloria’s tightness in her chest now eased up.

“I suppose you are right. Who would have known, had you not stopped Bede back in Stow-on-Side, perhaps he would still be the Bede you met at the start? Fate works in mysterious ways, doesn’t it, child? Perhaps if we’re nice enough, Arceus might grant us a less snaky, defiant, changed Bede… Though, I suppose I shouldn’t ask for miracles.”

The two shared a relaxing, carefree laugh that vibrated around the room. Gloria hadn’t expected this, but she had completely let her walls and nervousness drop after hearing Opal’s story. It was a tender moment and she appreciated how wise Opal was, not to mention, taking in a mentor at the ripe age she was. She admired Opal deeply.

Unbeknownst to the two, thirty minutes had already past – a knock veered both their attention towards the door.

“My apologies, my dear. I was supposed to learn more about you, but instead, I had made it about myself.”

Gloria shook her head.

“It’s fine, you can ask me anything whilst Bede’s around~ I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.” She replied with a relaxed tone, finally feeling at her full comfort, no awkward air lingered around any longer.

“That is if he doesn’t chew our ears off about the sudden invitation. He has no idea you’re here.”

Both her and Gloria held back giggles, Gloria’s eyes travelling towards the door as Opal answered and took a step back, allowing Bede to march in with stride.

“What did you need, Ms-”

As soon as his lilac eyes met with Gloria’s big brown orbs, he froze. His body stiffened completely, almost he had used the move Ice Beam on himself and frozen over. Gloria, on the other hand, waved at him, gesturing him to take a seat besides her.

“Hi, honey. Ms. Opal invited me over for some tea! There’s a hazelnut macaron I saved for you!”

A goofy smile spread across her face, her brown locks covering the sides of her cheeks as she watched Bede’s face suddenly glow furiously red. She was unsure whether it was from anger though, or the fact that she had addressed him as ‘honey’.

It was undeniable to her that he was too cute. She couldn’t help herself at all, nor the gently thumping in her chest that she was attempting to ignore.

“Well? Sit, boy. She’s travelled so far to see you. Where is the chivalry in love these days? Back in my day, we-”

“I-I just came back from the Gym, so… Glory won’t mind if I don’t, uhm… touch her right now, right?”

He stared daggers at her, and responsively, she laughed.

“Of course. You must be exhausted… and ew, please don’t touch me if you are sweaty! Come have your macaron already or I’ll tak-”

“Don’t you dare.”

Another laugh escaped her plush lips.

“So, tell me about your day, darling, did you miss me? You’re sure as heck I missed you.”

Gloria felt Bede’s gentle kick under the table as he shuffled to sit next to her, she spotted this iconic eye roll from the side and sneakily glanced to make sure Opal wasn’t paying attention to them before blowing a kiss to Bede. She winked at him and swore he was about to combust on the spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I tried to use "pink" as an analogy for love, that Opal saw Bede still had love in his heart. That the nickname 'Pink Isolation' meant she isolated herself from love. I don't know if that translated well, but I hope so! ♥


	5. Unresolved Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gloria has been swirling on his mind lately. This charade has been going on for only a week, but already, Bede wonders if it's something that's been brewing for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a mistake in one of my earlier chapters and instead of putting 'Guitar' that Gloria plays, I put piano because I was listening to some piano tunes as I was writing. It kind of comes to play in the next chapter, so I had to just let that be known!

Mornings were usually no trouble at all for the platinum blonde fairy user. In fact, he found mornings to be when he was most tranquil. This particular one, however, was anything but. For a moment, he wondered if he could get away with a peaceful, brisk walk to the gym without any interruptions.

Bede had spent the evening of the previous day entertaining the idea of Gloria coming over more often with Opal, whilst he was in the waiting room – and by entertained, he meant in one ear, out the other. No way was that going to happen. He was already a little displeased by her sudden presence at Opal’s home a few nights ago for tea, he didn’t need her invading more of his space.

Least… that was what he was telling himself.

On this particular morning, he had awoken to around ten messages from Gloria. Before he could even check what they contained, he instinctively rolled his eyes. He knew whatever they were, it was going to be trouble for him in the long run.

**[8:35] Gloria: Hey Bede! Listen, I was going to ask if it’s cool if I pop over?**

**[8:53] Gloria: I’ll wait for you to get back! Don’t want to cause you trouble.**

A huff escaped Bede’s mouth as he raised a brow. He HIGHLY doubted that. She was always causing trouble for him, one way or another.

**[9:10] Gloria: Ah, screw it. I’m coming over! Maybe later though, like, midday?**

**[9:12] Gloria: Oh, I have an idea!**

**[9:15] Gloria: Wait, nevermind. I’ll keep that a surprise. ;)**

Bingo…

Subconsciously, he began to rub his temples. The dull headache that was Gloria was spreading all over his mind. Part of him wondered if he was ever going to get used to her sudden visits or sporadic choices that just don’t seem to have any reasoning behind them.

Underneath these messages, Gloria had snapped four pictures that morning. One contained an open view, a bright and crisp view of the grassy, warm hills of Wedgehurst that seemed to be so full of life. Wooloo’s rolled in the backdrop of the photo, the small, peaceful town in the distance.

Another two was of Gloria, both pretty much the same image of the chocolate haired Champion snuggling a Pokemon Bede didn’t recognised that she had before. An Eevee. She smiled so softly against the Eevee’s fur, Eevee looking just as happy as she was.

The final picture was of the little Eevee, curled up in a ball as it slept.

Bede sighed, scrolling through them. What was the purpose of sending these?

Finally, he spotted her last message.

**[9:30] Gloria: OH, I also have to talk to you about something. Catch you later, handsome. ;) <3**

Bede almost dropped his phone upon reading the last sentence, the air seemingly vanishing before his eyes. Lately, Gloria had been more brave in her word choices _AND_ her insufferable teasing. Despite the slight red flush in his cheeks and ears, the slight beating of his heart… Bede would always say he despised her out loud.

After the even more deliberately slow walk to calm his heart, that he would never admit was beating too fast for his own good, Bede waltzed straight past all of the staff members and challengers and B lined for the staff waiting room. He needed to prepare himself and push the thought of her out of his mind for a while. The last thing he wanted was this – a distraction. Arceus, Gloria always found a way to bother him even without being around.

Hasty to get stuck into battles, he tossed everything he didn’t need into his locker – however, he couldn’t quite find the will to toss his phone in without a wave of guilt crashing over his conscience.

…

A small grunt and a mumble to himself later and he found himself messaging her back.

**[9:54] Bede: Whatever it is you’re planning, just make sure you come here at a sensible time. I will not be even the slightest bit impressed if you turn up to waste my time too.**

With that, before he could even be sure she messaged him back, or even if the message was sent, hurriedly turned off his phone and flung it into the locker.

He had business to do, and Gloria was only going be a thorn in his side if he kept giving her the spotlight.  
  


* * *

  
Battle after battle, glistening sweat dripping from the corner of his face, he couldn’t help his on-going smirk he wore with pride. The adrenaline rush from battles felt all too good for Bede. Since his time as gym leader, he suddenly felt so unstoppable. Sure, a few had managed to slip past him and won, but it was always such a close battle that came down to luck in the end. The thrill was all too good, especially when he felt his years of Pokemon training at the academy was finally paying off and people were truly seeing the side of Bede he wanted to show during the Gym Challenges.

Just as he was readying himself for the next battle, a loud bell rang through the gym. _Great…_  
Lunch time. Just as his adrenaline was hitting his highest.

In truth though, Bede might have never known the time – or the meaning of stopping for a break, he might have even continued battling until the late hours of the night if no one was there to remind him (and the rest of the gym) to take a break. Well, at least for the sake of everyone else at the gym, he tucked his Pokemon safely back into the pouch of his belt and decided to head off for a bite. _Wouldn’t kill him to get an actual break_ , he thought.

…

...

He spoke far too soon.

As he headed off the stadium pitch, a glimmer flash of brown waved to him by the entrance of the stadium, catching his eyes. His eyebrow instinctively twitched, desperate to keep that calm demeanour on his face in hopes that no one would notice the panic and irritation that was bubbling to the surface.

He had forgotten about her arrangement to visit...

Part of him wondered if he needed to keep the charade going when Opal wasn’t around, but then again, would it be more suspicious if they didn’t and someone had told her? Arceus, what should he even do?...

Once he was underneath the entrance tunnel, out of view of all prying eyes, he speedily marched to Gloria. She grinned as impishly as ever and for a moment, Bede wondered if she had something planned up her sleeve.

Before she could even fit a word in, he tugged her wrist and jerked her towards the waiting area. He tried his best to be as light in his grip as possible. Wait, why did it even matter to him anyway?! She was nothing but a pain in his backside.

As he pulled her into the waiting room, he took a brief moment to eye around the room, making sure it was to the privacy of him and the Champion alone before he swiftly shut the door.

“Good to see you too?” Gloria said, her voice oozing with sarcasm as she giggled slightly.

He, on the other hand, was not as impressed as she was.

“What are you doing here, Champion? Don’t you have training to do?” He retorted to her, clearly not influenced by her joking tone.

“Whaaa, you knew I was coming, you saw my text. Did ya think I would suddenly forget to come?”

Gloria’s cheeks expanded slightly, puffing out right in front of him. Part of him wanted to laugh at her childish display, the other half warning himself that if he did let his guard down around her, she’d get away with everything.

Instead, he let out a scoff and shrugged, his lips pressed into a hard line.

“I’m busy here, Champion. You should be as well, otherwise the one to snatch your Champion title next will not just be me at the rate you keep procrastinating at.”

Gloria laughed. Bede, on the other hand, didn’t find the situation particularly funny at all. He had no idea what she was laughing at, unless she was just that confident no one would take her title. A little irritation bubbled inside him, but before it could spread-

“I know, I know. I promise I haven’t been lacking!” She spoke through giggles, trying to calm herself down. “I actually came here to bring you some lunch. I was going to head to the Wild Area afterwards.”

When she finally stopped giggling, a grin spread across her face from ear to ear as she dug through her backpack. Sure enough, she pulled out two, rectangular cute lunch boxes. One pastel blue, the other pastel pink. She held them in her small, dainty hands that made the lunch boxes look far bigger than they actually were.

Bede was a little taken back. He wasn’t sure he heard correctly until Gloria had pulled them out of her backpack. A small wave of guilt crashed over him for trying to shoo her away so fast, a flush of red travelled to his cheeks from embarrassment. Gloria may not have noticed the guilt, but he certainly felt it.

He could only stare at her sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

“Weeeeeell? I was thinking maybe we could sit somewhere together, just us, have a little chat, y’know?”

His pride didn’t allow him to outwardly admit that he didn’t dislike the idea. It also didn’t allow him to apologise either, which annoyed him slightly, since it was sitting in the back of his throat. Instead, he shyly nodded to her and it earnt him another giggle.

“Great! I was hoping you’d agree! Lead the way, Bedey.”

“Please don’t-” Bede sighed, nothing he said would ever stop Gloria from doing what she wanted anyway. Alternatively, he decided to let this one slide, just for today.

“Come on. Behind the gym has a little balcony area. It’s not used much since there’s really nothing to see behind, but it’s good enough to give us privacy.” Bede mumbled the final part of his sentence. Somehow, phrasing it that way made it feel like they were a real couple, hiding away from the public. He hated this… so he said, reminding himself again.  
  


* * *

  
Once they had reached the quiet part of the stadium, Gloria’s excitement couldn’t be contained any longer. Bede watched her as she flung herself around the little balcony, pointing at different areas of the forest that Bede had grown so accustom to. It was nothing new for Bede, in fact, it looked like every single damn part of this forest, but he supposed to someone who hadn’t been to Ballonlea as often as he was, it could be considered exciting.

Bede eyed her cautiously as she pointed towards various Pokemon sitting in trees or hanging around the area below, her body slightly leaning across the rails. It took all of his energy not to instinctively go over and hold her waist into place to prevent her from tumbling. Instead, he kept reminding himself that whatever happened to her was her business and nothing to do with him.

Once her energy had finally calmed, she plopped herself down onto the cold, metal plate beneath them and placed the two boxes down. She patted the ground and winked towards Bede, which he groaned in response. Surely, she wasn’t going to be expecting Bede to respond to her every whim and call like this, was she?

For once though, he kept his remarks to himself and only shuffled towards her. He knelt down and took a seat besides her as he reached for the blue lunch box, which he had automatically assumed was his due to the colour.

Gloria promptly swatted his hand away, swiftly swapping the boxes so that Bede had the pink one.

“Sorry, the pink one is yours. It suits you way more, don’t ya think?”

He rolled his eyes and huffed.

“What does it matter if the content isn’t any different?”

“I never said it wasn’t. I remember you said you liked hazelnut desserts, so I snuck in a few extra hazelnut cookies for you. Not exactly desserts, but I hope you’ll like them… Oh, and I also took out the hard-boiled eggs, you don’t like those too either, right?”

Gloria let the last bit of her sentence trail off, the tiniest blush seemed to glow against her pale skin. Bede too, felt a little flush on his cheeks. He hadn’t realised Gloria truly did pay attention to what he said to her the first day at the cafe. Perhaps he wasn’t giving her enough credit after all…

Quietly, Bede sat back and opened his lunch box. Instantly, his face seemed to melt into what seemed like a smile… and a frown? Honestly, he wasn’t sure himself what kind of face he was making, the only thing he was sure of though – was the growing blush on his face. He could just barely hear Gloria’s giggle in front of him, likely from his embarrassed and shy constipated expression.

Upon opening the pink box, a small, dainty ham sandwich in the shape of a Wooloo, likely made by a cookie cutter, sat neatly on a bed of salad. In one of the two square holes on the side contained little pieces of fruit, cut up and placed into a line together, the other contained his hazelnut cookies she mentioned previously.

It was surprisingly cute and delicate, for someone with so much fierceness and exhilaration on the battlefield. It was the complete opposite to her battle style.  
He briefly peaked over at hers to see if she had given hers just as much attention as is. She had, except hers included small little quail eggs on the side of her salad.

It was an odd feeling… No one had ever taken the time out of their day to make a specific lunch box for him like this, especially with attentive details to things he didn’t like. Not since he was a young boy stuck in the confines of the orphanage he grew up in. Even then, it didn’t feel like _this_ …  
  
...

A warm and comforting silence shared between the two was appreciated by Bede, only interrupted by the occasional question of ‘How is it?’ from Gloria or ‘How was your day?’ and so on.  
He would never admit this out loud, but he really, truly, could get used to this…

After finishing his admittedly scrumptious lunch, he took a moment to breathe and let the food go down. He still had a bit of time left before he had to return to the gym challengers that lined up waiting for the gym to open again.

He took a brief glance at Gloria to check if she was finished, unwilling to interrupt her mid-meal if she was still tucking into her food. Lucky for him, she had just finished. He quickly snapped his gaze away, not wanting to come across as though he was staring far too long.

“Thank you… for the lunch. I appreciated it.”

She flashed him a grin, and for a moment, he felt his heart skip a beat.

“No problem. I put a lot of work into that. Maybe I should be a chef some day if anyone ever takes my title, y’know?”

Bede chuckled in response.

“It was tolerable… besides, it was a sandwich. I would hope even you knew how to make one, otherwise, that’d be extremely worrying.”

She winked at him and her grin became Gengar-like, his heart skipped another beat. He tore his eyes away from her and intently eyed down an Polteageist floating around in the dark mists of the woods.

“Worrying, huh? If I couldn’t make one, would you make one for me everyday?” Gloria’s playful tone made him nervous. Despite knowing she was joking, and clearly, fully capable, he had a feeling she could easily rope him into doing this for her daily if she truly wanted. Even if she didn't know it.

“I’m sure you could ask that Hop friend of yours to do it.” Bede let the begrudging retort slip from his tongue with no second thought, but a pang of hurt ached in his words and his chest. Despite how it was supposed to come out, his voice shook a little, it seemed to almost betray him. He frowned.

Arceus, why did it ache in the first place? He knew Gloria and Hop were close – and it never bothered him before. Why was it bothering him now, all of a sudden? Even the sudden mention of Hop made a part of his chest ache in distaste.

Bede let out a cough, clearing his throat as he attempted to change the subject before Gloria could respond and notice his loathing, despite how sure he was that he was overthinking things.

“You said earlier, you had something to talk to me about?”

Conveniently, he left out the fact she also teasingly called him handsome in that same sentence.

“Oh, shoot. I almost forgot!”

Involuntarily, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out… a Pokeball?

Bede raised a brow.

Giving the ball her signature quick kiss, she released the Pokemon – an Eevee.

Ah.

Now the photos of the Eevee made sense… kind of. He still had no idea what the context even was, just that clearly, she wanted to talk about her Eevee.

The Eevee took one glance at Bede and smiled, gently waddling over as it nuzzled his hand. The stone cold pressed expression on Bede’s face suddenly melted away ever so slightly.

“Well, see,” she began, scratching the back of her neck. “I was wondering if you could help me out. I’ve never had an issue with evolving Pokemon before, especially if it’s about friendship and trust, but...”

Bede waited for a moment for her to finish… except she didn’t.

“But…? Spit it out.”

She gulped and sighed.

“The Wild Area at night is… y’know.”

“No, I don’t know.” Bede countered back rather hastily, hoping to speed up the conversation before he had to go.

“It’s… well, y’know? I _really_ want an Umbreon, but they only evolve at night, I thought it’d be a great way to go train him for a while and hopefully, he’ll evolve?”

“Okay. So, what’s the problem? You can’t go?”

“That’s the thing… I’ve never been in the Wild Area at night before, and between you and me...” she leaned in close to Bede and suddenly, he felt too hyper aware of the space – or lack of, between them. “I’m… scared of ghost Pokemon.”

Bede blinked.

“Hang on. The Champion of Galar, with a Mimikyu, is afraid of ghost type Pokemon…?”

“H-hey! Mimikyu’s different. He’s cute… Haunters, on the other hand? Hell no. Don’t even get me started on Driftloons! Have you even read their Pokedex!?”

“...Gloria, they approach children… You’re sixteen.” Bede snorted slightly.

“Yeah, sure, bet they all say that before they get swept away! Plus, look at me. I’m so short they might think I’m a kid!”

Bede mentally slapped his forehead. He couldn’t believe this for one moment. He wanted to so desperately burst out laughing, but at the same time, he couldn’t believe one person’s idiocy.

“Allister is a child, yet he manages fine with ghost types. You don’t see him getting dragged off. How did you even manage to face him…?”

“Listen, just because he can, doesn’t mean I can. Honestly, it took everything inside me to even walk into his gym doors… Arceus, don’t even get me started on that Frank guy across the road with the love letter I got from Hammerlocke!”

Bede let out a tremendous, disappointed sigh. At this point, he wasn’t even sure what she was babbling on about. He brought a hand to his head and rubbed his temples.

“So, what does this have to do with me? You’re clearly bringing this to me for a reason, unless you just think it’s an interesting topic.”

“Well, see… I was kinda wonder if you’d come with me tomorrow, camping, I mean. I know that you’re free from the gym tomorrow, so if you’d rather rest, I understand.”

It was true that Bede had a day off from the gym tomorrow, but in truth, he always found himself on those days still itching for training and battles. But then again, even if he agreed to go on this… camping trip, what was he going to do? Sit there and wait until she evolved her silly Eevee? Camping too, of all things…

Probably noticing the hesitation in Bede’s expression as he stared at the innocent, small Eevee, she smiled at him softly.  
  
“It’s okay if you can’t make it. I just thought it’d be a good time for us to talk more. I can always ask Marnie or Hop.”

The name dripped off her tongue like poison to Bede, the slight pang from before swelled inside his chest. He clicked his tongue in frustration and stared at her slightly, trying mentally to outweigh his options. Why did the idea of Hop being around her frustrate him so much? He should be used to this by now… surely.

He thought for a moment before he spoke, definitely not wanting her to misunderstand his words. Bede kept his eyes on the Eevee, who somehow had now found comfort in curling on Bede’s lap as he stroked his fur.

“…Fine. I’ll go. But under two conditions.”

“Wait, for real-”

“First is,” Bede cut her off quickly, positive she was going to say something just as uninteresting and time wasting as always, instead of consulting to what he had to say first. “I’m not going there just for leisurely time, I’m going there to help evolve Eevee to an Umbreon. Once that’s done, I’m leaving. Second… we’re not sleeping in one tent, I hope you know. So bring one.”

As soon as he finished barking his two conditions, her usual brown eyes widened into starry eyes and Bede felt himself swallow, a flow of heat rushing to his face. He had never seen that look on her before and part of him felt like he could get lost in those beautiful, bright, brown orbs…

Wait… Beautiful?

He snapped his head to the side, unable to look directly at her. She didn’t seem to pay any mind though, instead, she grabbed his hand and shook it. It briefly snapped his attention towards her again from the sudden contact.

“Bede, you’re the best! Oh, thank you so, so much! You’re an awesome friend!”

Bede took a little pride in her words. He doubted he would ever take Hop’s place in terms of friendship for her, but at least he could be here for her now.

“I suppose,” she continued and Bede tilted his head. “I suppose I still need you even now. Funny, huh?”

Bede recalled the few days prior, remembering how she said she needed him during the Gym Challenge, how he helped change her. Momentarily, he wondered if she was just saying that to make him feel better, but in truth, despite all his self doubts and anxieties, she seemed true to her word. For a brief moment, he let those troubles ago and believed her.

“Yes, well... What else are friends for?”

She smiled blissfully at him and he swore his heart travelled to his throat, he could practically hear it beat in his ears.

“Of course!”  
  


* * *

  
Many hours had gone by since their lunch and Gloria had already taken her leave, not wanting to intrude on the rest of his day. He would never admit it, he felt a little glum really, knowing she left without watching his battles and seeing his progression. Though, he would rather die than beg for her to stay and watch. Dramatic, he knew, but he certainly would rather that then let her feel like she had any matter to him…

But that was a lie. Of course she did. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been preparing for that damn camping trip at this moment into the late hours, despite the exhausting long day he had.

He was lucky at times like these, that his home was his own, quiet and peaceful… a place where Bede could be left to his own thoughts where he could debate his inner feelings without interruptions or distractions. Which was exactly what he was doing.

Whilst he packed and prepared himself for tomorrow’s sudden trip, a thought couldn’t leave his mind for even a moment. It tortured him from the inside and threatened his "secret" so often on the outside, causing him to sometimes short circuit and flare up in embarrassment.

His thoughts always managed to travel back to Gloria.

The way she smiled at him, a longing where he felt no one had ever had for him in a while. A place where he felt he could be himself around. He wondered so often how he got to this point. How his heart would race at the thought of her, conflicted with past emotions of hate and disdain, the looks of scorn he would flash her before battles… now? He felt like an inner war was raging, but one side was clearly winning more than the other. His usual irritation and irrational despise for her seemed to have mellowed out, almost disappearing, replaced only by this horrid feeling of warmth and dopamine. A feeling where he felt temporarily insane around her, all parts of his rationality seemed to flow out existence. He felt like a Parasect, all parts of his sane consciousness taken over by a parasite. He looked at her as if she _was_ the world, basking in all her glory and beauty.  
  
For the first time in a long one, he felt… peaceful. Every fibre in his body felt so light and the world around him suddenly felt even more vibrant. He was on cloud nine at times, and no matter what he did, he couldn’t pull himself down.

What was he doing?

This was ridiculous.

He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to name this feeling, in worry that naming it would solidify it’s existence bubbling inside him. He… wasn’t sure what it was, because for the first time ever in his seventeen years, this was the first time he had ever felt this sensation before.

Once he had finished double checking his packing, he scurried himself into bed. For a moment, he kept his curtains opened and stared blankly out behind him at the dazzling night sky, stars dancing against the dark blue.

He wondered long before this whole charade, to the time they stood on the battlefield of the Champion’s Cup – swearing an oath to quit being a trainer if he lost, had this feeling lingered there since that day? Amplified only when Gloria had attempted for so long to break down his walls and come by to see him often?

Had he… always seen Gloria in such a light?

Bede let out a grunt, tossing a pillow over his head as he melted into the cushiony sensation and despite the cold air of the dark night, his room – his space, felt far too warm.

There were so many emotions swirling inside him, feelings of unresolved loneliness from his childhood, regrets and doubts, yet even more feelings of bliss, radiant joy and thrill all tangled and fought inside him…

…

The world turned blank for a moment. He felt breathless.  
  
...  
  
...

When did he… start to have feelings for Gloria?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH, my jaw aches from just the cuteness that is Bederia. I kept biting my lower jaw the entire writing session.  
> I actually don't even know if 12 chapters is enough. I really don't want to rush their feelings and I reaaaally want to make sure it comes off as believable, rather than out of left field, you know? I might add more chapters, especially since the nitty-gritty of the fic is coming up soon! I truly want to make sure it's portrait and foreshadowed well. ♥ With that said, I might be adding more tags soon.


	6. Unresolved Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bede, now coming to the realisation he feels something towards the current Galar Champion, now has to deal with a night's camping trip with her. Somehow, however, he eventually learns of Gloria is a little more complex than he gives her credit for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m SO sorry about how late this is! I got struck by sickness. I hope this is alright! Admittedly, I tried so hard to get back to writing but my brain was so frazzled each time. I just kinda let myself do whatever instead, like edit, etc. Anyway, I hope people enjoy this chapter! I re-wrote it like, 5 times now? ;3;

In his entire life, he had never once bailed on anything he had done. He had put his all to everything, even on moments when he thought it was over for him. He wanted to do anything to prove his worth… but for this one time, just this one, he wanted to jolt big time.

Last night’s fiasco had set his emotions ablaze. Everything felt so raw and seemed to bubble completely to the surface. He wasn’t sure of how it happened exactly, one moment, he was readying himself for today’s camping trip, the next? He felt like he was suddenly dropped into the deep pits of the abyss. Dramatic, he knew, as always. All he knew right now, however, was that he had less than a wink of sleep and a ton of questions now plaguing his thoughts…

 _Thanks, Arceus_. Bede rolled his eyes instinctively at the thought of Arceus possibly laughing at his misery right now.

He had hoped the long night’s rest would cure him if only momentarily – of the feelings that were brewing inside, certain that they were a spur of the moment notion. Instead? It plagued him even now. It was an odd sensation… he felt so vulnerable, as though his glassy lilac eyes meeting hers would instantly convey all his buried feelings telepathically and she would know everything he held close to him... Yet, a part of him wasn’t sure if he even would be too distraught if that happened. It would certainly save him from having confess his feelings someday-

No.

No, no, no!

What was he thinking…?

He had been up for a whole ten minutes and already his thoughts lingered to this? He wasn’t even sure of his feelings just yet, for all he knew, it could be a simple misplaced moment of appreciation for her, that’s all! He had only just gathered some semblance on it himself, how did he expect the most clueless person he knew to react calmly if she ever found out he might have… something for her?

He could hear her voice now, that coy, sickly giggle of hers echoing in the back of his head, teasing him about how, by some miracle, she already knew – or some stupid thing like that, or perhaps a scenario where it all turns out to be one moment of madness on his part and ruins his friendship with her permanently over this?

Was this even worth mentioning to Gloria yet? After all, if it did turn out to be false, he would look completely and utterly foolish, how he could bear to look at her in the face after that would be beyond him.

Besides…

Inside his own heart, there were matters he had been daunting over since he was first put into the orphanage. Emotions he refused to admit, the hurt he still felt from many years ago…  
He couldn’t dare open up his heart to Gloria yet until he himself could learn to confront his own buried emotions first.

As always, who would have guessed that even when she wasn’t around to do anything, Gloria was still a thorn in his backside? Still causing him so much confusion?

…Just what he needed right before he was going to spend the night camping with her…

The timing couldn’t have been more impeccable, truly...

* * *

Hours began ticking by in what felt like minutes, what usually feels like the opposite when it came to his time with her before this whole charade.

Bede took a deep breath as he peered out of the wide, hazy windows of the cramped Flying Taxi. Usually, the small space never bothered him so much… This time, however? He felt like he couldn’t breathe, the walls felt eerily closer than he ever felt they were. Even his usual, roomy magenta coat suddenly felt so compressed and discomforting to be in.

He glanced over at the semi-blue skies, the shades of pink and orange began blending together like watercolours on a wet canvas, hoping the broad view of calm skies and gliding Pokemon would relieve some tension from him. Somehow, it worked, even if it was only for a little moment. His tense shoulders began to dip and relax slowly.

He hadn’t received a single message or phone call from Gloria all day, so he could only make the assumption that she was getting ready still or hadn’t made it there yet.

A part of him beamed at the idea that she was late, it would have bought him time to quickly sort his clearly over-imaginative mind down from everything. All sorts of scenarios were running through Bede’s head all day that he just couldn’t cease them, and knowing that it was almost time to face up to it, clearly wasn’t easing his troubled mind. He hadn’t even had time to confirm these… stirring emotions, yet they were causing so much conflict.

It was too late to back down from the trip too, and considering he knew Gloria’s unwillingness to give up – even despite her fears, he may has well have just sent here there from the get go on his own.

Bede’s mind wondered the entire journey. It drifted so often to thoughts of Gloria and just as quickly as it did, he would try desperately to force them out of his mind. He pressed his furiously heated cheek against the cooling glass as he observed the world go by. How did he find himself in this whole situation? What even drew his usual unsympathetic attitude towards everything that didn’t matter to him, to now, Gloria – the girl that just may have suddenly captured his heart out of the blue?

This was all so absurd, so out of his element.

He took one last final, deep sigh as he focused his mind elsewhere for the time being, eventually spotting the hustling city of Motostoke in the very small distance as the taxi drew closer.

With his new revelation, he hadn’t even begun to think about how he was going to face her without his heart disappearing into his stomach and his whole face flaring up. How could he even have the dignity to show his face after forcing her into this weird charade, and now, might have genuinely fallen for her?

This was going to be a long night, and he bloody well knew it.

* * *

“Oh- there you are! I was just about to text ya!”

 _Great_. He spoke far too soon.

A disappointed frown curled on his pale face as the familiar sickly-sweet voice grew closer to him. Gloria, who he assumed had just arrived, sprang towards him. She looked just as oblivious and idiotic as ever. That goofy, winning smile of hers spread wide across her rosy cheeks, threatening to tear out Bede’s heart any moment. A fire lit inside Bede as his cheeks began to flare, the sudden hyper awareness to his all so confusing emotions began to stir up inside. Snappy, he coughed, attempting desperately to take the attention away from his burning, flushed cheeks.

So much for time to calm down.

His attention was immediately brought to something else. Something he hadn’t expected her to lug along the trip. He hoped to Arceus it wasn’t going to be some odd distraction for her.

“...Why exactly did you bring that?”

Bede pointed towards the large, black guitar case on her back, her camping gear also strapped to it. Oddly enough, he also noticed sets of Pokemon stickers attached onto the case. Of course, she had the energy of a child, after all. Was he even surprised?

“Oh, I hope you don’t mind. I used to go camping a lot when I was younger! Felt right to bring it with me, for old time sakes. I promise it won’t be a bother!” she grinned innocently at him. Bede, on the other hand, rolled his eyes, completely unamused.

“As long as you don’t play that thing at ungodly hours,” he muttered in response. “Then do whatever.”

Gloria seemed thrilled, a moment of passed where her child-like energy seemed to take over. She momentarily cheered, thrusting her arm into the air as she hissed a ‘Yesss!!’ through her toothy, wide, grin. Bede suspected no matter what he said, she would have brought that thing with her anyway. A part of him was curious, however, if she truly could play or if she was all talk. Bede attempted to suck in the smile that was itching to spread on his face when he eyed her little cheer, her chocolate brown hair bouncing in the air as she did.

“I hope you got everything you need. I’m not making a trek back here once we leave the premises.” Bede’s voice came out stern, forcing away any sort of notion that he was in adoration of her.

Gloria nodded happily in response, “Of course! Ready to go? It’s almost time.”

Well, it wasn’t like Bede could say no regardless.

Propping up his hefty weighted camping bag on his shoulders, he marched forward and gestured for her to follow. In her oddball-ish way (Bede would call, ‘annoying’), she skipped after him until they were side by side.

-

Turning the corner around the outskirts of Motostoke’s walls as the sun began to set, Bede became immediately aware of how close Gloria was to him, her shoulder only mere centimetres away from touching his. It was an odd feeling. Butterfrees scrambled in his stomach as he couldn’t dare turn his head towards her, but only fast, snappy glances from the corners of his eyes were turning to her, careful not to be caught in the act – as if forbidden.

Had he… always felt this notion towards her? This wasn’t the first time he had felt so hyper aware of their closeness sometimes, the gap between them feeling like magnets that he desperately fought against to prevent himself from going any closer.

Light-hearted giggles brought his wondering mind back to reality. He turned towards her, stopped in his tracks and frowned.

“What?”

“Nothing, just...” For a split moment, her eyes seemed to shine, a small, captivating small curled on her plush lips. She dotted her eyes up and down Bede’s body. Silence fell between them, but Bede felt like his heart was so loud, even she might have heard it. Watching her eye himself, he felt so self-conscious under her gaze. What was the problem?

“Just… what?” Bede practically choked out, he snapped the back of his wrist to his jaw, a sub par attempt to hide his now reddened cheeks.

She giggled once more and shook her head.

“Sorry… The jacket you’re wearing. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you wear it.”

Bede raised a brow in confusion, slowly, he lowered his hand and waited for her to continue.

“I always see you in your Gym uniform,” she began softly, tilting her head to signal for them to keep walking as she spoke. They did. “D-don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not complaining! Just… this jacket reminds me of when we first met, y’know? You’ve changed a lot since.”

For a moment, Bede stopped all movement. He stood there and lowered his gaze, eventually, Gloria noticed and turned towards him. Now it was her turn to raise a brow in uncertainty.

It really hadn’t been that long since the events of the Gym Challenge… to think, so much change could happen in so little time. A part of him wondered if Gloria would have still considered him a friend, if he hadn’t changed. Deep down, old feelings that lingered for years were still swirling inside Bede. He wondered, briefly… did that even mean he changed? If those maddening feelings were still wrecking havoc inside him?

It perplexed him, truly, to even know she would consider him a friend long before he even acknowledged her as a true rival.

“Sorry-” Gloria chimed. Swiftly, Bede brought his eyes back to her. “I didn’t mean to bring it up. What I was trying to say was that, uh… you… look good in it?” Bede could barely pick up the hint of confusion and questioning in her voice. She sheepishly scratched the side of her cheek, eyes clearly off to the side to avoid contact. For a moment, he pondered if that was truly what Gloria wanted to say. Her obvious tone shift said otherwise.

Instead, he decided not to bring it up. It was clear, after all, she seemed uncomfortable by the idea. Probably no thanks to his sudden hesitation, of course.

 _Arceus, what an idiot_. He thought as he mentally slapped himself. He hoped to Arceus he hadn’t made the night awkward. What a way to start...

Alternatively, he hastily changed the subject – the clear awkwardness would have been uneasy to bear, all things considered.

“Where exactly are you leading us, anyway? Had any specific ideas or do you plan on running intro trouble first, then letting me know?”

A hum came from Gloria as she pointed near the Watchtower Ruins, but clearly not directly at the ruins. Another toothy, Galarian Meowth-like grin, followed with an oblivious giggle, shifted the atmosphere entirely.

“Let’s head there. Maybe we can set up camp nearby first, then we could head out after. It’ll be dark by then. I’ve got Walnut with me, so I can leave him guard for a while.”

Walnut?…  
Oh, _right_. Her Cinderace. He almost forgot her inconceivable habit of naming her Pokemon after snacks. Was food the only thing on her mind?

A sigh escaped his lips.

“Fine,” Bede spoke, sounding completely unimpressed. “Just remember, I’m not here to laze around with you. I’m here for that Eevee of yours, remember once-”

“I know, once he’s evolved, you’ll leave, I got it. “Don’t waste my time, Champion!”.” she retorted in a sing-song voice, shifting to a deeper, stale tone, clearly her attempt at mocking his voice. It was completely off, in Bede’s opinion. He certainly as wasn't amused as she was.

Bede rolled his eyes and marched onwards, trailing down the path, passing little patches and fields of Pokemon, heading towards an open area where none resided. Gloria, of course, followed gleefully. Well, he was glad the subject change at least shifted the mood. He couldn’t quite say he was too happy with Gloria’s mockery of him, but it was better than seeing her down, he supposed.

Once they reached that little spot in between the Watchtower Ruins and East Lake Axewell, Bede slowly dropped his hefty baggage on the ground, beginning to unpack. Glancing back, Gloria did the same. It was odd for him to see her act so naturally in the Wild Area. Most trainers would have thought twice about camping out with wild, unpredictable Pokemon that called this place their home. He supposed that’s what made her Champion in the first place, despite her fears, she was going to do her best to get what she wanted.

A comfortable silence fell between them as they both steadily unpacked, making sure neither of them needed one last trip to the city before fully committing to the night here. The sky began to slowly dissolve into a dark mist, the sun escaping their view as it almost hid behind the hills in the distance, leaving only a gentle brush stroke of orange lined against the silhouette of the hill tops.

Once Bede was done setting up his tent from the inside, he noticed how unexpected close Gloria’s was. In surprise, he raised a brow, arms folding against his chest.

“The Wild Area is a big spot. It has plenty of room for the both of us, I’m sure.” Bede’s tone oozed with sarcasm. The idea of Gloria’s tent being so invasive to his tent during his most comfortable time of sleep gave him chills. Especially since he wasn’t sure if he was a snorer or a sleep-talker. He was positive he was neither, but the sudden idea that if he was and she would know, made him all too nervous.

A flash of Gloria’s chocolate hair poked out from her tent, her head popping out from within the waterproof, polyester, candy red tent. She sported a nervous smile, only giving Bede more of a confused raised eye brow.

“Well, I figured since we’ll be heading out, it’d be easier for Walnut to patrol the area if our tents are set up together. Plus, I, uhm...” she attempted to clear her throat, chewing on her bottom lip timidly as she spoke, a side of her that Bede was not used to.

“I know we aren’t exactly at Watchtower Ruins, but… it kinda gives me the creeps. I’m already dragging you here, I’d feel awful if I then asked to sleep in the same tent afterwards...”

Bede gulped, taking a sharp breath, his eyes widened briefly. She had to be twisting his leg, right?  
He quickly shook the thought of his head, deciding to ignore the latter of her sentence. How oblivious was this girl?

“Then why did you pick this area? You only require your Eevee to evolve until an Umbreon, that doesn’t require you to specifically be near Ghost types.”

“I-I know that! I just thought since a few Ghost types might lurk around, it might give Eevee the idea to evolve quickly.”

Bede lifted a hand to his forehead, rubbing the sides of his, now aching, head.

“...Gloria, that’s an idiotic idea.”

“Well, it’s too late now!” she retorted, huffing as she turned her face away, cheeks puffed out in a pout. “Besides, it gets me motivated, y’know? I want to learn to like Ghost types. They aren’t all bad.”

Bede bit back the urge to argue back, holding back another instinctive eye roll. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh at her idiocy, or be disappointed at the current state of the Galar Champion right before him.

“Just… don’t dillydally. At the rate you’re going, it might turn to morning before you’re done.” Bede brushed a hand through his platinum blonde Espurr-like locks, an unnoticeable sigh broke free from his lips as he began to march away from the camp, but only to a certain distance before he seemingly stopped.

“H-hang on a minute, Bede! Wait up!”

A quick glance back and Bede confirmed his purposefully loud march had caused Gloria a moment of panic, forcing her to quickly thrash herself out of the security of her tent. Instantaneously, she tossed two Pokeballs in the air, the flash of white and blue lights mixed as out came her Cinderace and Eevee. Both ecstatically greeted her once they were let free. A lecture given to Cinderace later and Gloria and Eevee caught up to Bede, waving to Cinderace as he waved back with an infectious smile, proudly parading around the camp.

“Let’s start over near the West Lake Axewell,” she announced, careful of her steps not to accidentally step on her Eevee. “The Pokemon seem a little weaker there, it might be a good place to start for Eevee.”

Bede nodded in agreement and the three headed off.

* * *

Despite how eerily quiet it was from the lack of other trainers, to which some would have likely felt nervous from, Bede felt at peace. It was different from the quietness that lingered around him at the late hours in the comfort of his home. No, this was another kind of peaceful. The cool, crisp air would gently brush his platinum curls, the wind occasionally sending chills down his body, but he enjoyed the tranquillity that came with it.

A few hours had skimmed by as he observed Gloria train her Eevee. He was surprised, truly, by how she handled everything. Especially considering he had always assumed she spent half her time camping and stopping to eat, or just messing around. On the battlefield, she seemed like a completely different person to her otherwise friendly, teasing and sometimes laid-back personality. She seemed term, confident and determined as she fought. It was almost infectious. Bede was sure her Eevee had picked up the same traits, a stark contrast to the snuggled, timid Eevee that curled against his lap the day before. Occasionally, she would stop to ask if her Eevee needed a break, or feed it some berries and took breaks to play with it. That was when Bede would finally keep her company, chit-chatting and bickering about anything they could between one another. Then, the breaks felt all too short as she would eventually get up and wonder back into patches of grass. Bede stood from a distance, he avoided being an obstacle for her.

He was completely captivated by her, eyes of adoration refused to look away, his heart soared in his chest. He hadn’t intended to, but he found himself staring silently as she fought. A moments glance from Gloria and his secret might have just become completely exposed. Lucky for him, she was too pre-occupied.  
It was hard to imagine that someone so small, so petite in frame, had such a wide bundle of life inside. The way she handled herself even in tough situations, even when he was sure her usual timid Eevee wouldn’t be able to escape the next set Fury swipes that headed in it’s direction, she proved him wrong each time. As though the bonds between her and Eevee were linked, her shouts and rapid strategic mind always left her one step ahead of her opponents, until eventually, she and her Eevee would win. Once the Eevee did claim victory, she would always reward it somehow.

The way she fought was nothing knew to Bede, he should know, he was on the other end of her fights constantly after all, yet… he saw a side to her he never seemed to have noticed before, as though his obscure view was suddenly broken down. A kindness that flowed within her, the determination that carried over through to her Pokemon, the compassion she held for all the Pokemon she fought against.

Bede wondered if that was her key to success. If her constant flow of affection and emotions had infected the Pokemon around her, the team she carried by her side… He wondered if he was entranced in that same affection for her too.

He wondered, briefly, if maybe Gloria had entranced him just like her team, like most people in her life…

Like the previous Champion.  
Like Ms. Opal.

...Like Hop.

A sour frown suddenly formed as the idea popped in his mind. He tried miserably to shake that thought of his head, but it was too late. His blood ran cold as he thought restlessly about her relation to her dear childhood friend, Hop.

From the beginning, he knew out of both Gloria and Hop, Hop was clearly the inferior one. He hadn’t had the same drive as she did. His was born from the desire to prove he was just as good as his higher achieving brother, that he wasn’t a let down to the previous Champion. Part of him saw himself in Hop. How they both would fight, not for themselves, but for someone else. Perhaps maybe that was what hindered both their abilities to grow stronger. Hop irritated Bede, truly. From the depth of his core, Hop was someone he loathed, but, deep within, he knew it was an unjustified hatred. It was a hatred he himself had burdened too, and projected that disdain onto him.

Now though? Both had changed, things have changed. He no longer saw that yearning boy of himself within Hop, yet, why did he still feel this tang of ache every time he even thought of the boy?

Of course he knew what the reason was, deep within.

He always knew from the get go, but he feared knowing it, feared giving into it would make it all too real.

He was… jealous.

Ever since he was a young boy, he never got along with other children. He never learnt to control any of his emotions. Built a wall to propel all things willing to break it, to stop himself from hurting once again.

Now that it was hurting, even just slightly, Bede detested it. He had never felt so vulnerable. He couldn’t fathom how one girl could completely tear his walls down and cause him so much emotions. He’d… never fully comprehend it.

He pondered, just for a moment, was Hop enchanted by her too? Despite knowing that question dug holes in his chest, left his hands trembling, he couldn’t stop his own curious thoughts. The frown on his face only continued to spread further.

Did she… like Hop?

…

What… was he doing?

This was ridiculous.

What did he think he was going to achieve by questioning it? It was clear he would never get his answers this way.

For someone so normally level headed, his judgement completely flew out the window this time. Still, he couldn’t help but feel his stomach churn in distaste, his cheeks grew red from raw embarrassment at the idea that he was just kidding himself. That all this was just part of the charade.

 _Arceus_ , he really hated himself...

Bede slowly began, unthinkingly, stumbled off. His brain felt like he was in auto-pilot as he continued to stagger away.

He felt like a fool.

An even bigger fool than when he embarrassingly destroyed a part of Galar’s history.

Because this time… it affected him personally.

Legs continued as he headed towards the camp, though, he didn’t make it far. A warm, burning sensation scorched his shoulders, even through his thick jacket, bringing his senses back to reality. He peered over them, catching the glint of confusion and worry in Gloria’s eyes, her Eevee sat on her shoulders as it, too, looked at Bede as if they both saw a ghost. Gloria’s face glistened pink from the cold breeze, a small puff of cold air escaping her warm lips. Bede’s mouth parted, but no words came out. Instead, he snapped his gaze to the ground as shame flushed his body.

Gloria, on the other hand, just stared at him with concern and Bede felt red-faced under her gaze.

“Hey, is something wrong? You don’t look too well.”

Bede stood, unsure of what to even say. No words were forming in his throat. There was no way he could explain his rationality, least not right now. Instead, he shook his head and momentarily turned away, facing towards the luxury of their camp. He took a deep, easing breath.

“I’m fine. You’re the one who looks ridiculous.” Bede managed to choke out eventually.

Slowly, he gently brushed Gloria’s hand off of his shoulder. At first, he instinctively noticed a frown from her as soon as he did, however, the frown shifted when the sudden weight of his bulky jacket landed on her shoulders, wrapping herself and her Eevee together warmly.

“Let’s take a break. You look like you could do with something to eat.”

A scowl burned against Bede’s face as he turned and walked away first. He wasn’t going to just wait until she picked up her jaw off the floor, that’s for sure. Nor was he going to watch as she dazzled under his gaze, possibly flashing that soft smile of hers as a teasing comment slipped out, playing with his heart once more. Not right now.

* * *

Once they had reached the comfort of their camp, both Gloria and Bede had released their remaining Pokemon, allowing them to roam freely. Her Cinerace bounced and hopped, wishing to be praised by his master for a job’s well done. Her other Pokemon, Mimikyu, Milotic, Meowtic, Leafeon and of course, Eevee, all gathered as they greeted their beloved trainer. Bede’s, on the other hand, freely played with one another, all except his Hatterene who had lovingly smiled and waved her antenna around at him. That moment allowed Bede to relax, stilling his heart to a normal pace.

He calmed himself. The moment was appreciated. His Pokemon eventually dispersed from their usual group, heading towards Gloria’s as they all mingled and played together. That earnt a smile from Bede. All except Hatterene again, who sat beside him as he lifted the heavy, cauldron-like pot onto the burning flame left to keep Cinderace warm during Gloria’s training.

A quick glance up and he noticed Gloria’s awkward aura radiating from her. In truth, it wasn’t truly her, but the jacket placed on her was far too big for her small stature. It made her look ridiculous and cute at the same time. Bede wasn’t sure whether to laugh or ignore it, but his lips met in between a growing smile curled on his face. It was Gloria’s turn to frown, though, it came out more like a pout.

“Ha ha… funny. You can have it back if you want.” Gloria grumbled, though opposite to her word, seemed to snuggle in a little more into his jacket. Bede felt himself swallow his heart down, an immense amount of heat travelled to his cheeks and ears. His breath suddenly hitched as he quickly caught another glimpse of her snuggling into his favourite jacket. He definitely would commit this moment to memory.

“Keep it. You look silly standing there cold.” he spoke gently as he tended to the fire.

“Says the guy who’s now in shorts and high tights...” she responded sarcastically, earning Bede an unexpected wink. He flushed again, only this time, from embarrassment.

“T-these aren’t tights!” his voice cracked slightly in his retort and a part of him died inside.

She giggled in return as she headed towards her tent. Steadily, she fished out her camping bag and began to pull supplies out. A small chopping board, a knife wrapped and covered to prevent any accident, an abundance of vegetables and a packet of curry powder.

“I can handle cooking tonight,” she smiled sweetly, rolling the sleeves of Bede’s jacket up to her arms so that her hands would finally be able to poke out of the holes.

Bede would usually never accept, especially when he knew he had the skills to make food that was absolutely delectable… but this time, from the smile on her soft, innocent face, he couldn’t resist letting her get away with what she wanted. Plus, the added bonus of hopefully watching her struggle in his clearly too-oversized jacket for her. That is, if she didn’t find a way to ruin it…

–

A swift bite into the plate of curry and Bede hadn’t even realised how starved he felt until the soft, pillowy potatoes and curry sauce floated down his throat. He let an audible hum escape, something he usually would make conscious effort to hide. He only allowed it to happen this once, considering he was sure Gloria would be oblivious to it. Which, she was. She seemed more hyper focused on the stars that shimmered above. Another spoonful in and he contemplated telling her to eat before the food got cold… instead though, he glanced at her, her expression bright as her starry eyes were dotting to spot all the sparkles in the sky. His breath hitched once again. He wondered if his own lilac orbs were just as starry eyed when he watched her. He was completely bewitched by her, taken back under her spell that was… just her.

All of a sudden, his appetite disappeared, the world around him dissolved, it felt like it was just him and Gloria, all alone in this small space between them. He wondered what she thought of, when she stared so closely at the night sky. What did her thoughts travel to? He could only wonder.

Moments past as the duo chowed down, close to finishing their meals. Occasionally, Gloria would ask him – what he deemed – odd questions, and he would have no clue how to respond, mostly because no one had cared to asked him these questions before.

“So, Bede, what’s your favourite colour?”

“I thought these trivial questions were over… Besides, why does it matter? Opal won’t know any of this about me-”

“Just answer it, dummy.”

Bede frowned, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Purple.”

“Huh… totally didn’t see that one coming.” Gloria’s voice oozed sarcasm, waving the sleeve of Bede’s jacket in the air and Bede rolled his eyes.

“You asked.”

“Okay then. Favourite song?”

Bede paused. Then, shrugged.

“I don’t have one. And before you ask, it’s because I don’t have time, unlike a certain Champion I know.”

“I’m the ONLY Champion you know.” she coyly winked at Bede and he sighed. “Mine’s Plastic Love. Have you heard of that one? It’s so pretty.”

Bede raised a brow in response.

“I have… I didn’t expect you to like that type of music, considering how dated it is.”

“Are you kidding? I love that song! Oh, wait a second!”

As Gloria collected her empty plate and laid it besides the flame, a reminder for her to clean it before bed, Bede did the same once he took the last mouthful. He examined her as she trotted towards her tent. She disappeared for a brief moment and silence fell between Bede and the Pokemon. He glanced at his Hatterene, who only shrugged in response. Eventually, after a pause, Gloria climbed out of her tent with her trusty, beige acoustic guitar, that almost seemed her size. He questioned whether she could even play that thing properly, all things considered.

Hastily, she scooted herself over to sit besides Bede and he swallowed anxiously at the small gap between them.

“Wanna hear?” Bede couldn’t say no to her gleaming smile. Besides, even if he rejected her offer, she had already taken out the guitar, fully intending for him to listen. What was the point of even asking?

Instead of a sarcastic quip however, he decided just to agree and waited for her to strum and warm herself up. She comfortably shifted in place, adjusting so that her small frame could reach over the guitar. As if she didn’t look cute enough in his oversized jacket, now she looked even smaller with a guitar nearing her size. He couldn’t help but smile behind a hand that rested underneath his chin for comfort as he propped himself up.

A few practice strums and tuning pauses later, she began to slowly pick up her pace. Strumming the cords to the song, her fingers began to flex speedily. Softly, a beautiful melody began to harmonise. He observed closely, eyeing her intensity as she focused on her gentle strumming. She bit her lower lip and he smiled instinctively. A habit he had noticed she would do only under deep thoughts or intense focus.

He was coloured surprised for sure, he hadn’t expected her to play so faultlessly. There wasn’t a single moment where she had made a mistake or played off key. A part of him wondered how long she had practised to perfect it. For a moment, he let himself melt, his gaze drifting up to her porcelain face, the fire’s warm glow shimmered against her skin, orange bright hues reflecting from her brown glossy eyes, just whilst he knew the risk of being caught was low. The way her tiny fingers gently strummed against the strings felt like the strings in his own heart were being pulled.

A deep sigh escaped as he engrossed himself in her gentle performance, something that was for his ears – well, and their Pokemon’s, only. His eyes were filled with so much fondness for her as he watched her play. He resisted the urged to hum along, wanting only the sounds of her melody to be the only thing he heard. His smile grew ever so slightly as he closed his eyes and let serene, free from disturbance atmosphere take over.

A part of him wouldn’t have even minded of this moment lasted forever...

This girl always managed to find new ways to amaze him.

Once her intimate, private performance was over, she flashed him her iconic winning smile that he oh-so adored. He swiftly snapped his eyes opened and rapidly tore them away from her view, a furious blush seemed to spread across his pale face, made only more obvious by the glow of the camp fire’s flame.

She giggled.

“Whatcha think?”

Bede paused, his eyes obviously darted elsewhere for the time being. He felt his heart pound in his chest, echoing into his ears.

“It’s… tolerable.”

“Wow, you sure know how to fish a girl a compliment.” Gloria shook her head, her tone was obviously only meant as a tease, but a small part of him felt guilty. He couldn’t not admit that she had done a pretty good job, and honestly, warmed his heart a little at how talented she was.

He attempted to cover his answer with a cough, attention still averted elsewhere. “It was… uhm… really impressive. I didn’t know you could play so well.”

A small gasp was enough for Bede to quickly turn his attention back to Gloria. Instinctively, he was concerned he had let slip a comment that came off rude, but instead, as he turned to face Gloria, she smiled even more, her hazelnut glassy eyes dazzled with delight as it met his own lilac wide eyes. Her cheeks were dusted with the warmth from her blush, even travelling to the tips of her ears. Bede was sure, after catching her rare expression, that he too reflected the same look now. He shyly tilted his head away, desperate not to make anymore eye contact with her in fear of combustion. He couldn’t make the same promise in regards to his heart, however, that just seemed to stamper away heavily in his chest.

“That means a lot to me… Thank you, Bede. I… didn’t expected that from you, honestly.” Gloria balanced her guitar against the side of her seat, scratching away bashfully at the back of her neck.

A silence filled the air between the two and Bede could have sworn the pounding in his chest was only getting worse. A wildfire of heat spread across to even his neck. He looked so idiotic. Why didn’t he say that from the start?

He wanted nothing more than to leap into his tent and close up for the rest of the camping trip…

Instead, Gloria’s content sigh brought his racing heart back to reality. A glance over to her and her hazel, doe-eyes were back onto the shimmering, picture-esc, dark ocean night skies. None of that though, pales in comparison to her own beauty, in Bede’s mind.

“I have to admit...” Gloria’s lips twisted upwards, almost as if she did it subconsciously. “I didn’t think this would be so nice. I feel less lonely when you’re around, Bede. Don’t you think?”

She spoke his name like poetry, her words softened as they lingered on her lips. He suddenly felt all too aware of how she calmly dragged his name out of her lips, elongating the last syllables to his name. He gulped gingerly.

“I suppose.” desperate to keep his voice levelled, he sighed. The tender moment must have gone soft on Bede. He decided to keep his sarcastic quips to himself, for once. “I don’t really find myself thinking about how alone I am. I just get on with it.”

Well… He supposed at least he was honest, despite how cold it may have came out.

Gloria, in response, shook her head silently.

“Doesn’t it… get lonely for you?”

Ah. A question Bede was never asked before, and a peculiar one at that.

In truth, he didn’t even know how to answer. Loneliness was… of course, something he dealt with a lot, but he learnt to deal with it. Life was unfair and he knew it.

He shrugged.

“Not anymore. I have my Pokemon now.” his gaze travelled to his precious Hatterene, who had been silently watching the two interact. Unlike their other Pokemon, she sat beside him throughout the evening, content with just being by his side. He smiled gently to his Hatterene.

“Hatterene’s special to me. She was the first Pokemon I’ve ever received. Not to mention, the Chairman gave me. She’s the closes I can call my family, but it doesn’t matter to me. Pokemon or not, I can cope just fine.”

Bede’s words must have struck a cord in Gloria. Although her eyes never shifted from the starry skies, he could see her fidget a little in response. He wasn’t too surprised, though. He would have guessed anyone hearing that would feel sympathetic towards him. Not that he needed any pity from anyone.

What surprised him though, was Gloria’s acknowledgement in return. His mouth parted into a O shape. He hadn’t expected that from the Champion. Especially one that seemed so outgoing, forward beyond his belief. Something he wouldn’t dare commit around people he had barely spoken to – yet, she did it with ease.

“You’re… really something, Bede. I can’t help but admire that about you.”

Pensively, she brought a knee to her chest and wrapped her arm around it, rolling down Bede's hefty jacket's sleeves to cover her dainty, delicate hands. Her eyes never left the view of the sky as she spoke.

“When I was younger, I learnt guitar from my dad.”

Bede stilled. He remembered various conversations and news outlets interviewing Gloria of her homely life back in the small countryside town of Postwick. She spoke nothing but good will and fondness of her doting parent, her mother. Her father was never once mentioned. He didn’t really notice it – least, until now.

“Dad loved the guitar, I think that was how he and my mum met, actually.” the moment of reminiscing allowed her a small gentle smile, Bede noticed. It didn’t stay long, though. “He used to play it a lot when I was a little girl, too. He said it was his way of serenading the Wooloo’s out back. He was joking, of course. Anyway, one day, when I was eight, he left. Mum and I just came back from school and, well, he was gone. Just some scrapped up note left on the table for us that said how he was sorry, didn’t want to burden us any more...”

Somehow, to Bede’s surprise, Gloria still managed a tight smile. He was positive, though, it was only for show. Her eyes spoke another truth as wet orbs formed underneath, only the tiniest of drops. It was hardly noticeable to anyone who probably hadn’t paid pristine attention. He could tell she did her best to blink them all away so he wouldn’t notice.

He sat there, a calming silence looming over the two as he waited patiently for Gloria to settle. Comforting was never something Bede would ever be good at. He wasn’t used to it, so he opted to stay quiet, hoping the appreciated silence and lack of questioning would be enough for her at this time.

A moment passed and she chirped up a little.

“Sorry about that! I, uh, I guess I just thought of my dad...” she motioned the air in front of her, as if to bat away all the negativity that clouded her thoughts, brushing away her sudden admission. He eyed her as she sucked in a deep breath, but it was clear to him that it seemed like she still had more on her mind. He studied her for a moment before he spoke, unsure if he was suddenly crossing a line he had never tread near before. He mentally reminded himself that, he was – indeed, her friend.

“You can let it out, you know. Keeping it all bottled up won’t help. That is, if you want to. I’m not here to force it out or pry, I couldn’t mind less which you do...”

Bede hadn’t meant for that to come out so impertinent. He just wasn’t used to anyone confining in him like this, let alone, Gloria, of all people. He could feel a slight wave of regret and guilt flush over him once he thought back on his words, but a peek at Gloria’s sudden gentle, genuine smile had caused another flush through his body.

“Thanks, Bede. I know I don’t really have any rights to feel this way, all things considered...”

Bede knew exactly who – or more so, what, she was referring to.

“But it means a lot that you listened. I can’t really tell my mum these things, y’know? She seems happier now, so I don’t want to burden her. I can’t change the past, so I know I can only look forward. I just get reminded of it sometimes. I’m sorry if I dampened the mood.”

Bede knew those feelings all too well. The feelings he would run and hide from for years, burying them deep within, not wishing to confront what truly ate away at all his self confidence, his pride and his ability to connect. The things that shaped who he was today. He understood, for the first time, another person’s internal struggle. For once, he felt like he could related to someone else, not just a reflection of his stirring emotions.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at her as his voice broke the silence, eyes dotted around to where hers previously were. His voice was calming. Perhaps even a part of this, he needed to confront himself.

“You have nothing to apologise for. It’s not your fault.” he wasn’t too sure on what to say, truthfully. He could only let his mind speak for him. “You just have to get on with it, sometimes… but, having a bit of help can do you good. Surely you know you can always talk to your friends about this. I might not know your mother, but I’m sure she would want to know what troubles her halfwit of a daughter.”

Playfully, he gently elbowed her arm and in return, she giggled tenderly. Bede did his best to hid the smile that the airy giggle did to his heart.

“You… can always talk to me too. Surprisingly, I know a thing or two about how to handle myself.”

“Really now?” Gloria’s before low-spirited voice now filled the air with her usual joking tone. He knew she was somewhat feeling better. “If I recall, aren’t you a little impulsive? Didn’t you pick a fight with Hop during the Gy-”

“I never said I made the right decisions back then!” Bede snapped fast, clearly embarrassed.

That display, however, earnt Bede another giggle. He did all he could to keep his composure, both from the embarrassment and the wave of warmth that sent chills down his spine.

“You really have changed a lot, you know. Thank you...” Gloria’s voice was almost a whisper as she spoke.

Bede, on the other hand, was struggling to keep his emotions in check. He returned to his usual demeanour and cleared his throat.

“Yes, well. I suppose going through this… Gym Challenge fiasco does that to you. Anyway, you’ve made almost no progress at all evolving your Eevee. I’ll leave soon if you don’t finish up, unless you want to be here, damned with these Haunters and Driftloons around…?”

Bede’s mocking tone obviously didn’t catch onto Gloria’s ears as she nervously swallowed all sense of… well, everything.

“O-okay, okay! Let me just put this away and we can go!” Gloria restlessly scampered to her feet and hastily snatched her guitar, practically diving at light speed into her tent. Bede desperately held back a chuckle, but his Hatterene laughed instead for him.

Somehow, a small part of him felt relief. All his words were fully directed to Gloria – yet, a part of him felt uplifted, as if a small chunk of his heavy past had lessened. He knew all too well why, and despite the fact that Gloria hadn’t outright said so, he knew full well… He could talk to her anytime, just as he did for her tonight, or just as she did for him the first time.

She was the first person who took the time to slowly and steadily walk him past his own self made walls, to feel a connection and relation to someone that wasn’t on a level of a one sided adoration, always giving but never receiving any sort of emotion in response. She was the first person to ever get to know Bede for who he truly was, who he wanted to be…

It wasn’t too hard to realise, of course it wasn’t. He already knew, deep down, what he felt towards Gloria, ever since the day she confronted him in front of Hammerlocke, the day his pride took a big turn and she was still looking at him with equality in her eyes, the burning passion of rivalry mixed with admiration, no sympathy behind those glassy brown eyes. She saw him as much more than just a lowly orphan, but someone who would, eventually, inspire to beat. He didn’t need to prove his self worth anymore, because in her eyes, she saw him as equal.

Bede hadn’t realised it had been so long since, the realisation that slowly edged in the back of his mind…

He was, truly, already falling for the Galar Champion, Gloria.  
  
He had to finally admit it, much to his supposed "dismay".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it’s pretty obvious that the next few chapters are might explore a, uh, hurt side of things in regard to Bede’s current self and former situations. I hope people are alright with that! I left it here in case! ♥  
> I'm a little iffy on the pacing of this, so I might write a part two to the camping trip or start off from the next day. Who knows!
> 
> OH, unrelated, but does anyone have a headcanon voice for Bede? I’ve been wondering that for weeks.  
> I'm so sorry if this felt rushed. I've got a lot of my plate, so I apologise!


End file.
